The US space agency NASA plans to build a nuclear reactor on the surface of the moon, Politico reported, citing internal agency documents, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
According to the information, the space agency intends to request specific proposals from industry within 60 days for a 100-kilowatt reactor, which should be operational by 2030.
According to the publication, acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy is expected to announce the plans in the coming days.
The plan comes amid increasing competition with China, which is seeking to launch its first manned mission to the moon at the same time.
The NASA document warns that the first country to deploy a a working reactor, could "declare a no-go zone, which would significantly hamper the US".
The idea of a nuclear reactor on the moon is not new. Russia proposed the concept years ago, and NASA has recently stepped up its own research.
The reactor would provide a stable power supply needed for future lunar missions, especially during the roughly two-week lunar night, when solar power is unavailable.
The US is aiming to return astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. As part of its "Artemis" program NASA plans to land a crew on the lunar surface in 2027.
However, the schedule has already been postponed repeatedly and it remains unclear whether US President Donald Trump will continue to support the effort.
The UK has granted its first space launch license to a local rocket company, paving the way for a Scottish startup to send satellites into space from the country's first vertical launch pad, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Founded in 2017, "Skyrora" (Skyrora) will be able to carry out up to 16 launches a year, subject to further approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the regulator said.
The Scotland-based company will use the SaxaVord spaceport in the Shetland Islands, northern Scotland, which last year received a key safety licence, meaning rockets could be launched from the site in the future.
German company Rocket Factory Augsburg was the first to receive a launch licence from the site earlier this year.
"The awarding of a launch licence to local company "Skyrora" is an important milestone for our space sector and for our country," said CAA chief executive Rob Bishton.