Powering the Lunar Economy: Nuclear Energy, Microgrids, and the Infrastructure of Space
At spaceNEXT 2026, a forward-looking conversation between Rima Oueid (Department of Energy) and Ron Faibish of General Atomics tackled a foundational question for the emerging space economy:
How do we power it?
If microgravity manufacturing, in-space mining, autonomous robotics, orbital data centers, and lunar infrastructure are to scale, power becomes the enabling constraint.
“Power is going to be king,” Faibish said. “Industrializing on orbit processes and eventually on the surface of the Moon will require power. And if the future plans pan out — which they pretty much have to — we’re going to need a lot of power.”
Beyond Solar: The Case for Nuclear Fission in Space
Today, solar energy and battery storage dominate space power systems. Radioisotope thermal generators support deep space missions, typically producing hundreds of watts to low kilowatts.
But scaling industrial activity requires more.
Data centers in orbit.
In-situ resource utilization on the Moon.
Advanced manufacturing in microgravity.
Autonomous robotic mining in permanently shadowed craters.
These applications demand power in the tens to hundreds of kilowatts — and eventually megawatt-scale systems.
“The cutoff usually is 50 to 100 kilowatts,” Faibish explained. “That’s where solar becomes huge and storage becomes heavy. There are engineering and physics limitations.”
Nuclear fission reactors — particularly compact microreactors under 20 megawatts — offer significantly higher energy density and resilience.
In harsh lunar or Martian environments, where temperatures can plunge and sunlight disappears for extended periods, nuclear systems can operate continuously.
“When the polar vortex comes down here on Earth,” Faibish noted, “the power plants that keep humming are usually nuclear. Gas freezes. Nuclear keeps going.”
Designing the Grid Differently — From the Start
Oueid emphasized a critical point: space offers a rare opportunity to avoid legacy constraints that burden terrestrial grids.
On Earth, centralized utility models and century-old business structures limit flexibility. Bidirectional energy systems — such as vehicle-to-grid technologies — remain underutilized despite massive latent capacity.
“In space, we’re starting with a clean slate,” she said. “Let’s not repeat the mistakes we’ve made on Earth.”
Rather than centralized, spoke-and-wheel infrastructure, the lunar surface may require microgrid architectures — flexible, distributed, resilient networks.
Power could be:
Generated via nuclear microreactors
Supplemented with solar where feasible
Stored locally
Transmitted wirelessly via power beaming
Delivered by autonomous robotic vehicles
Permanently shadowed lunar craters, where valuable water ice may exist, cannot rely on solar generation. Nuclear reactors positioned in those regions could enable mining, manufacturing, and habitation.
“Solar will not work in those deep, very cold regions,” Faibish explained. “Nuclear can enable those locations.”
Safety, Regulation, and Public Perception
Deploying nuclear systems in space raises regulatory and perception challenges — but Faibish framed them as solvable engineering and policy questions.
“We are never going to launch an operating nuclear reactor,” he clarified. “It’s not turned on until it’s on orbit or on the surface.”
Modern microreactor designs incorporate passive safety features. Fuels such as TRIGA-type fuel possess negative temperature coefficients, meaning they automatically shut down under abnormal conditions.
“There are solutions,” Faibish said. “We can overcome perceptions.”
The United States has deployed one fission reactor in space before — SNAP-10A in 1965 — and more than 30 space reactors have been deployed historically, primarily by the Soviet Union.
The question is not whether it can be done.
It is whether it will be prioritized.
Recent executive actions and NASA draft solicitations have signaled renewed interest in fission surface power systems, with timelines targeting lunar deployment as early as 2030.
Public-Private Partnerships and Sandboxes
Both speakers underscored the need for public-private partnerships to de-risk early systems.
Government participation remains critical in:
Technology maturation
Regulatory alignment
First-of-a-kind demonstrations
Early procurement commitments
Oueid proposed the concept of “sandboxes” — demonstration environments in low Earth orbit and on the lunar surface where microgrid architectures, power beaming, and distributed energy systems could be tested in parallel.
“These sandboxes can run in tandem,” Faibish agreed. “It’s not either-or. It’s both.”
Deploying nuclear systems alongside initial industrial users would allow real-world validation of scalable infrastructure models.
Unlocking the Industrial Layer of Space
Nuclear-enabled microgrids would do more than power equipment. They would unlock entire sectors:
Autonomous mining
Advanced materials manufacturing
Orbital data centers
AI-driven robotics
Deep-space propulsion
“Scalability is king,” Faibish said.
The ability to reliably generate tens to hundreds of kilowatts — and eventually megawatts — may determine whether the lunar economy becomes experimental or industrial.
Space presents a unique opportunity.
Rather than retrofitting legacy infrastructure, humanity can design a power architecture optimized for flexibility, resilience, and growth from the beginning.
“We have a clean slate,” Oueid said. “Let’s use it.”
