South China Morning Post reports that Chinese researchers think that chemical fuel and solar panels will no longer be enough to meet the demands of human space exploration. China is developing a powerful nuclear reactor for its Moon and Mars missions. According to researchers involved in the project, the reactor can generate 1 MW of electric power, 100 times more powerful than a similar device NASA plans to put on the surface of the Moon by 2030.
Although technical details and the launch date were not revealed, apparently the engineering design of a prototype machine was completed recently and some critical components built.