Italy’s national space agency, ASI, has kicked off its Selene project, which aims to develop small nuclear fission reactors to provide power on the lunar surface.

There are many Moon missions currently under way – from collecting samples from the lunar surface, such as India’s Chandrayaan-4 mission to the Moon’s south pole, to having a human presence on the Moon. For instance, Nasa expects to return humans to the lunar surface by 2030 and intends to build a permanent research station near the south pole shortly after.

This human presence will require resources, one of which is energy. Selene (Sistema Energetico Lunare con l’Energia NuclearE) has received €2m in funding from ASI to develop alternative energy infrastructures on the Moon that overcome the limitations of traditional technologies, such as radio-isotope systems and solar panels.

The aim of this Moon Energy Hub (MEnH) is to provide a stable energy base for future lunar settlements through the use of small nuclear fission reactors...