The Dawn of Lunar Reactors and the Quest for a New Space Nuclear Law

Lunar reactors powering space mining or human settlements on the Moon are no longer a utopia. Several projects are already planned to bring nuclear reactors into operation on the Moon in the third decade of this millennium. In December 2025, the executive order on Ensuring American Space Superiority was issued in the USA—the first-ever legal regulation that explicitly addresses the deployment of reactors on the Moon by 2030. This article proceeds from the finding that nuclear energy will play an integral role in further exploration of Outer Space. At the same time, however, this article argues that a transparent legal framework is a major prerequisite for deploying future lunar reactors. In this respect, this article also argues that national law alone cannot address the deployment of lunar reactors. Such a solution can’t address the will and the preferences of all states. In this respect, this article argues that any deployment of a lunar reactor requires governance under international public law that reflects the consensus of all potential stakeholders. That said, this article explores whether existing regimes of international space law and international nuclear law can address challenges arising from the future deployment of lunar reactors. In this respect, this article identifies the gaps in the existing international legal framework. In light of these gaps, this article argues that a future international framework cannot be based on a pure extension of existing instruments. These instruments were adopted for the earthly uses of nuclear power and were not designed to reflect how nuclear energy will operate in Outer Space. In this respect, this article argues that any future international framework for lunar reactors (space nuclear law) must reflect the peculiarities of the nuclear fuel cycle in Outer Space .