Rolls-Royce has been given funding to build a nuclear reactor to power a base on the moon, the U.K. Space Agency announced Friday. The British luxury car firm—which also manufactures nuclear reactors for submarines—will receive about $3.5 million to build the lunar micro-reactor, which is hoped to be ready to be sent to the moon by 2029. “All space missions depend on a power source, to support systems for communications, life-support and science experiments,” the U.K. Space Agency said in a statement announcing the funding. “Nuclear power has the potential to dramatically increase the duration of future Lunar missions and their scientific value.” NASA is planning to to put humans back on the moon in 2025 as part of its Artemis program.
