: NASA’s bold mission: Nuclear reactors on the moon by 2030 SpaceX’s Starship rocket, designed to serve as the lunar lander, requires a complex and unprecedented orbital refuelling process. Multiple test-flight explosions and delays in refuelling systems have raised doubts about whether the system can meet NASA’s timeline. With China aiming to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, Duffy has described the situation as a “national security imperative.” To accelerate progress, alternative proposals have emerged. Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, has offered a lander design that avoids orbital refuelling entirely. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin has proposed a two-stage lander built from spare Orion spacecraft parts to speed up development.