By Vahid Karaahmetovic

Investing.com -- Nuclear energy stocks rose on Thursday after the White House released a sweeping policy directive aimed at putting American reactors in orbit and on the Moon.

Shares in Oklo and NuScale jumped nearly 8% and 10% in premarket trading by 05:38 ET, respectively. Nano Nuclear Energy also rose 7.3%, while Cameco gained 1.6% and Uranium Energy added 2.1%.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued the memorandum on April 14, officially launching the National Initiative for American Space Nuclear Power, targeting reactors in orbit as early as 2028 and on the lunar surface by 2030.

The policy is the first comprehensive set of guidelines for both civilian and military applications of nuclear technology in space, acknowledging that traditional solar and chemical propulsion systems are insufficient for the ambitious goals of the coming decades.

The initiative spells out interagency roles for NASA, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy.

NASA is tasked with developing a mid-power space reactor with a lunar variant ready for launch by 2030, while the Pentagon is directed to pursue an orbital reactor by 2031, running its own competitive process carrying at least two vendors through preliminary design review and ground testing.

The first pathfinder mission, a 20-kilowatt reactor codenamed SR-1 Freedom, is designed to support both surface power and interplanetary propulsion.

A nuclear reactor harnesses fission — splitting the nuclei of radioactive atoms to release large amounts of heat — and would be essential for extended stays on the Moon, where each day and night lasts roughly two weeks, making solar power unreliable.

The policy follows remarks last month by NASA chief Jared Isaacman, who outlined the agency’s plans to develop nuclear power for future missions including flights to Mars.

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