Nano Nuclear releases RFI for Loki lunar ambitions

Nuclear power in space is back in the news for the second time this week as microreactor start-up Nano Nuclear has released a request for information to identify organizations that may support the company in the development of its Loki micro modular reactor. The company's goal is eventual deployment of Loki on the lunar surface.

Lunar mission: According to Nano, the RFI is in alignment with President Trump's December 2025 executive order titled "Ensuring American Space Superiority," which calls for an American return to the moon by 2028 through the Artemis Program and the establishment of the initial elements of a permanent lunar outpost by 2030.

Nano is not the only organization to quickly respond to this EO. Earlier this week, NASA and the Department of Energy announced a "renewed commitment" to their mutual goal of supporting the deployment of a reactor on the lunar surface.

The EO, the DOE-NASA announcement, and Nano's RFI all emphasize that the establishment of a permanent, nuclear-powered outpost on the moon can serve as a key stepping stone in eventual missions to Mars.

RFI details: The scope of Nano's RFI is broad. The company wants to "identify the potential capabilities, experience, and strategic positioning of organizations that may support technology development, demonstration, system integration, and maturation activities" related to Loki and aligned with NASA's fission surface power objectives.

According to Nano, the RFI's objective is to help shape its "planning and commercial partnership strategy by identifying organizations with enabling capabilities across areas such as systems integration, testing and qualification, manufacturing, deployment, and operations."

With these potential areas for collaboration listed, it's clear that Nano is open to partnering at almost all stages of Loki's development.

Jay Yu, founder and chair of Nano, added that the responses to this RFI "will help inform our long-term decision-making and provide a comprehensive assessment of the technical requirements, constraints, and opportunities as we plan our next steps."

Loki vs. Kronos: According to Nano, Loki is designed to provide 300 kW to 1 MW of electrical power, scalable down to 100 kWe for space-based applications, and utilizes HALEU TRISO fuel with enrichment between 9.75 and 19.9 percent U-235. The full system would weigh less than 15 metric tons and include a sealed core with a design life of up to 10 years of continuous operation.

Loki is Nano's space-oriented reactor and is one of three designs the company is currently developing; the others are Zeus, a portable microreactor designed to fit within a standard shipping container, and the Kronos MMR, Nano's flagship reactor. The company is currently planning deployments of Kronos with both the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. Air Force.