In a bold, strategic move for the U.S., acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy announced plans on August 5 to build a nuclear fission reactor for deployment on the lunar surface in 2030. Doing so would allow the United States to gain a foothold on the moon by the time China plans to land the first taikonaut,

The new image, which shows Earth along with an even smaller point of light coming from the moon, harkens back to Carl Sagan's famous Pale Blue Dot image, a shot the Voyager 1 spacecraft took in 1990 on its way out of the solar system. That historic photo has come to represent the vastness of space and humanity's humble place within it.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy says it's time for the agency to focus on the moon and Mars, not the "smorgasbord of priorities," like climate science, the agency has been directing its resources.

The Psyche spacecraft is on a six-year journey to reach a metal-rich asteroid by the same name. Well into its voyage, the probe looked back at its home planet and captured a rare view of Earth, accompanied by its Moon, as a mere speck engulfed by the dark void of space.

The reactor would launch to the moon by 2030, according to a directive by acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy that was sent to NASA officials in July and obtained by NPR. It's an ambitious target that has some in the scientific community concerned about high costs and a potentially unrealistic schedule.

Here's what to know. When the moon is nearly between Earth and the sun, one side of the moon faces the sun, and that side is illuminated, but the side the Earth sees is dark. This is called the new moon phase of the lunar cycle — when the moon isn't visible at night.

In their report, Lal and Myers estimate it would cost about $800 million annually for five years to build and deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon. Even if DoE support can prevent NASA's staffing cuts from kneecapping the project, its feasibility will hinge on if the Trump administration ponies up the cash to execute on its own bold claims.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy has directed the agency to fast-track plans to put a nuclear reactor on the moon.

Over half a year into Trump's second term, NASA still doesn't have a leader. The space agency is staring down the barrel of some devastating cuts to its science budget, with the Trump administration betting its future on space exploration alone.