# US, Russia and China race to place nuclear reactors on the moon

Al Jazeera examines why the United States, Russia and China are competing to develop nuclear reactors for the moon. Such reactors could power long-term lunar bases and shape future space exploration and geopolitical competition.

**Importance:** 4/5

## Sources

### World
- [Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/31/why-are-us-russia-and-china-racing-to-put-nuclear-reactors-on-the-moon?traffic_source=rss) — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 05:37:51 +0000