British aerospace giant Rolls-Royce said Friday it had secured UK funding to develop small nuclear reactors that could provide power on the Moon.
Rolls said the UK Space Agency had offered it £2.9 million ($3.5 million) to help research “how nuclear power could be used to support a future Moon base for astronauts”.
“Scientists and engineers at Rolls-Royce are working on the micro-reactor program to develop technology that will provide power needed for humans to live and work on the Moon,” the aerospace company added in a statement.
Rolls forecast its first car-sized reactor would be ready to be sent to the Moon by 2029.
Friday’s news comes as US space agency NASA aims to return humans to the Moon in 2025.
Hellbound and Down 