WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2021) President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to build a transportable demonstration small nuclear reactor of potential use in space travel, the White House announced in a statement on Tuesday.
"At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense will establish and implement a plan to demonstrate the energy flexibility and cost effectiveness of a small modular reactor at a domestic military installation, and will pilot a transportable small modular reactor for a mission other than naval propulsion for the first time in half a century," the statement said.
Trump issued an Executive Order to promote the development of small modular reactors for national defense and space exploration, the White House said. The move will revitalize the US nuclear energy sector and reinvigorate its space exploration program, it added.
"The sustainable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and other locations will be enhanced by small modular reactors deployed from Earth for operations across the solar system. NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] will explore the use of nuclear energy systems for human and robotic exploration missions through 2040," the statement said.
Small modular reactors also have the potential to enhance energy flexibility and energy security at domestic military installations in remote locations and are essential to deep space exploration, where solar power is not practical, the White House added.
