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.

The Trump administration is expected to soon announce plans to put a nuclear reactor on the moon. FOX News' CB Cotton looks into why there's support for the plan, as well as if the U.S. is legally allowed to do it.

Placing an atomic energy source on the lunar surface is “not science fiction,” experts say, but does pose technical challenges.