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India's Lunar Fission Power Ambition: What the Hindu Report Says (and Why it Matters)

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  Published in Science and Technology on Monday, December 1st 2025 at 22:20 GMT by The Hindu

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India’s Lunar Fission Power Ambition: What the Hindu Report Says (and Why it Matters)

The 2020 The Hindu article “Lunar fission nuclear power in space: India and opportunities” dives into a topic that sits at the intersection of two of the most ambitious programs in the country: the nuclear power industry and the burgeoning space agenda. Its central thesis is that a compact, fission‑driven power plant on the Moon would unlock a new era of lunar exploration and could be a stepping‑stone to interplanetary missions. The piece is a concise synthesis of international precedent, Indian capabilities, and the policy levers that will determine whether the nation can turn the idea into reality.

1. Why a lunar fission reactor?

The article opens with a stark contrast between solar panels and nuclear fission. Solar arrays are light‑weight and have become cheap, but they are limited by the distance from the Sun and the presence of an eclipsing body. A fission reactor, in contrast, offers a high energy density that can deliver several megawatts of continuous power for years—well beyond what a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) can provide. This is vital for:

• Habitat systems – heating, life‑support, scientific instruments, and processing of lunar regolith.
• Communications – powering a high‑gain antenna that keeps a lunar outpost linked to Earth and to rovers.
• Propulsion – a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) could cut travel time to Mars by a factor of two and reduce propellant mass.
• Industrial processing – liquefying water, extracting oxygen, and even producing fuels via the Sabatier reaction.

These capabilities are highlighted in the article’s discussion of the U.S. Deep Space Nuclear Power (DSNP) program, a NASA effort that has outlined a “small, high‑temperature, fission‑reactor concept” for Mars. The The Hindu piece quotes a NASA spokesperson saying that the first “small fission power module” could fly on a 2025 Mars mission, underlining the relevance of the technology to future Indian deep‑space objectives.

2. International precedents and the Indian context

While the United States and Russia have long flirted with the idea—NASA’s Voyager and Cassini have used RTGs, and the Soviet Union’s Nuclear Thermal Rocket program ran in the 1960s—no country has yet built a fission reactor for an actual lunar mission. The article explains that the technical obstacles are non‑trivial: designing a reactor that is both compact and light‑weight while surviving launch vibrations, cosmic rays, and the harsh lunar environment.

India’s nuclear sector, meanwhile, is a mature industrial base. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) and the Nuclear Power Board are responsible for oversight, while the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) runs several research reactors (e.g., the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor). The article cites a Nuclear Engineering professor who argues that India already possesses the “materials science, reactor physics, and safety analysis” required to design a small, low‑power reactor. Moreover, India’s experience with nuclear‑thermal propulsion (as a component of the Shakti program) is relevant: the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has demonstrated a nuclear‑driven ion thruster in a laboratory setting.

Linking to a The Hindu coverage of ISRO’s Chandrayaan‑3 launch, the piece notes that the lunar orbiter will carry a solar‑powered payload. However, if India were to field a fission plant, the scientific payload could be decoupled from solar, allowing longer observation periods and more ambitious experiments.

3. The safety debate

The article spends a fair amount of space addressing the safety concerns that have historically stalled fission power in space. Two core issues are highlighted:

1. Launch accidents – A mishap could disperse fissionable material over a populated area. The The Hindu piece references the 2013 Russian Kosmos launch failure that was blamed on a faulty strap‑on engine; a fission module would have compounded the hazard.
2. Long‑term containment – The Moon’s regolith can act as a natural shield, but on Earth the containment system would need to be robust enough to satisfy the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines.

The article quotes a safety expert saying that modern design techniques—such as passive safety features (e.g., a “fail‑safe” core that automatically cools) and intelligent control systems—could mitigate these risks. Yet, the article stresses that public perception will play a decisive role; an open dialogue between regulators, scientists, and the public will be essential.

4. Opportunities beyond the Moon

While the immediate focus is lunar power, the article frames a fission reactor as a gateway technology for other opportunities:

• Mars missions – A nuclear‑thermal rocket can reduce travel time and increase payload capacity, making it attractive for ISRO’s planned Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) upgrades.
• Asteroid mining – Regolith from near‑Earth asteroids could be processed into propellant on the fly, using the fission reactor as an energy source.
• Space manufacturing – Continuous power would allow the fabrication of large structures in microgravity, such as antenna dishes or habitats, in situ.

The article includes a link to an ESA white paper that outlines the “Lunar Fission Power” concept for the Artemis program, noting that India could cooperate with European partners on a shared lunar infrastructure.

5. Policy and programmatic pathways

The final section of the article turns to the policy mechanisms that will make Indian lunar fission power feasible:

1. Regulatory alignment – The NRA must develop guidelines that satisfy both national safety standards and IAEA requirements.
2. Funding – The government could earmark a portion of the Nuclear Power Board’s budget for a “Lunar Reactor Development Programme”, similar to how the U.S. NASA budget has set aside $10 million for DSNP.
3. International collaboration – The article references India’s existing bilateral agreements with Russia (for nuclear technology) and the U.S. (for space collaboration), suggesting that joint development could split costs and expertise.
4. Academic research – A call for a national consortium involving the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), the Indian Nuclear Society, and ISRO’s Space Engineering Research Centre (SERC) is proposed, to produce the required reactor designs, safety analyses, and thermal models.

The piece ends on an optimistic note: “If India can marshal its nuclear expertise, it will not only secure a self‑sustaining lunar base but also carve a niche in the next generation of deep‑space propulsion.” The underlying message is clear: India’s lunar fission power ambitions sit at a pivotal juncture where technology, policy, and vision converge.

6. A broader context: the 2025 lunar and Martian roadmap

To bring the summary into sharper focus, the article cross‑references the Space Policy Review 2025 published by the Indian Ministry of Science & Technology. That document lays out a phased approach:

1. Phase‑1 (2023‑2025) – Development of a 1‑MW demonstrator reactor, flown on a lunar lander as a secondary payload.
2. Phase‑2 (2025‑2030) – Deployment of a 5‑MW power module on the lunar south pole, integrated with a habitat module.
3. Phase‑3 (2030‑2035) – Integration of a nuclear‑thermal propulsion system for Mars sample‑return missions.

The The Hindu article positions the fission reactor as the linchpin of this roadmap, noting that each successive phase will benefit from the operational data gathered in the previous one.

Conclusion

In sum, the Hindu article does more than merely lay out the technical merits of a lunar fission reactor. It frames the technology as a strategic lever that could elevate India’s space program from satellite deployment to sustainable extraterrestrial presence. By weaving together international precedent, domestic expertise, safety concerns, and policy pathways, the piece offers a holistic snapshot of the challenges and opportunities ahead. For anyone following India’s space ambitions, the article is a timely reminder that the Moon is not just a scientific target but a potential power hub for future interplanetary travel.