🌑Knowledge Drop – 53: Biosecurity at the Brink: Why the World Is Still Unprepared for Bioterrorism | For Prelims: InDepth MCQs| For Mains, All G.S Papers: High Quality Essays
Post : 07 Dec 2025
⚛️ Powering the Final Frontier: Why Nuclear Energy Is Becoming the Backbone of Space Missions
Date: 7 December 2025
Syllabus: GS-3 / Science & Technology, Space Technology
🌍 Context
The United States has announced plans under its Lunar Fission Surface Power Project to deploy a small nuclear reactor on the Moon by the early 2030s. This marks a decisive shift in how future space missions will be powered, especially as humanity prepares for sustained lunar presence and eventual missions to Mars.
🚀 Why Is Nuclear Power in Space Gaining Importance?
🌑 Extreme Environment Constraints
The Moon experiences 14-day long nights, extreme cold, and dust-laden terrain, making solar power unreliable in several regions, especially near the lunar poles.
🛠️ Need for Continuous Power
Future missions require uninterrupted energy to run:
- Life-support systems
- Habitats and research labs
- Rovers and excavation units
- 3D printers and in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) systems
⚡ Long-Duration Missions
Unlike solar systems, nuclear reactors can operate continuously for a decade or more, independent of sunlight, dust, or terrain.
🔬 Evolution of Nuclear Power in Space
☢️ 1. Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs)
RTGs convert heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium-238 into electricity.
✔️ Advantages:
- Extremely reliable
- Immune to dust and darkness
- Used in missions like Voyager, Cassini, Curiosity
❌ Limitation:
- Produce only hundreds of watts, insufficient for human habitats or industry.
⚙️ 2. Compact Fission Reactors
These reactors can generate tens to hundreds of kilowatts of power.
✨ Significance:
- Suitable for permanent lunar bases
- Can support mining, habitation, and industrial activity
- Form the backbone of the US lunar reactor programme
🚀 3. Nuclear Propulsion Technologies
🔥 Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP)
- Uses a nuclear reactor to heat hydrogen
- Produces high thrust with better efficiency than chemical rockets
📌 The DRACO Programme (USA) aims to test NTP in lunar orbit by 2026, potentially cutting Mars travel time significantly and reducing astronauts’ radiation exposure.
⚡ Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP)
- Reactor-generated electricity ionises propellant
- Provides low but sustained thrust over long durations
- Ideal for deep-space probes and cargo transport
⚖️ International Legal Framework
🛰️ Outer Space Treaty (1967)
- Permits peaceful use of nuclear power in space
- Prohibits nuclear weapons and WMDs in space
⚠️ Liability Convention (1972)
- Launching State is liable for damage caused by space objects
- Ambiguity remains regarding nuclear accidents in deep space
🌕 Moon Agreement (1979)
- Introduces environmental and resource-sharing norms
- Not widely accepted; India is not a party
📜 1992 UN Principles
- Non-binding guidelines for nuclear power sources in space
- Focus on safety, transparency, and consultation
📌 India is a signatory to the Outer Space Treaty and Artemis Accords (2023), but not the Moon Agreement.
⚠️ Emerging Concerns
☢️ Radioactive Contamination Risks
Accidents during launch or lunar operations could contaminate pristine environments.
⚖️ Legal Grey Zones
Existing treaties are silent on:
- Nuclear waste disposal on the Moon
- Liability in cis-lunar space
🛡️ Militarisation Risks
Compact reactors have dual-use potential, raising fears of strategic misuse.
🗺️ Territorial Sensitivities
Safety zones around reactors could be perceived as de facto territorial claims, challenging the non-appropriation principle.
🛤️ Way Ahead
🔹 Update the 1992 UN Principles to explicitly cover propulsion reactors
🔹 Establish binding environmental and safety benchmarks
🔹 Create a multilateral oversight mechanism, possibly modelled on the IAEA
🔹 Enhance transparency, peer review, and confidence-building among space-faring nations
🌠 A Thought Spark — IAS Monk
“As humanity reaches for the stars, the question is no longer whether we should use nuclear power in space — but whether we can govern it wisely before it governs our future.”
Target IAS-2026+: Highly Expected Prelims MCQs :
📌 Prelims Practice MCQs
Topic:
MCQ 1 | TYPE 1 — How Many Statements Are Correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the Durand Line:
1)The Durand Line was drawn in 1893 between British India and Afghanistan.
2)It divided Pashtun tribal areas across present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan.
3)Afghanistan has consistently recognised the Durand Line as an international border.
4)Pakistan inherited the Durand Line as its western boundary after 1947.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A) Only two
B) Only three
C) All four
D) Only one
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: B) Only three
🧠 Explanation:
1)✅ True – Agreement signed in 1893 by Durand and Abdur Rahman Khan.
2)✅ True – Pashtun homelands were split by the line.
3)❌ False – Afghanistan has never formally recognised it.
4)✅ True – Pakistan inherited it post-Partition.
MCQ 2 | TYPE 2 — Two-Statement Type
Consider the following statements:
1)Pakistan began fencing the Durand Line in 2017 primarily to curb insurgency and illegal crossings.
2)Afghanistan views Pakistan’s fencing of the Durand Line as a legitimate and mutually agreed measure.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
A) Only 1 is correct
B) Only 2 is correct
C) Both are correct
D) Neither is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: A) Only 1 is correct
🧠 Explanation:
1)✅ True – Security concerns drove the fencing initiative.
2)❌ False – Afghanistan considers the fencing unilateral and illegitimate.
MCQ 3 | TYPE 3 — Code-Based Statement Selection
With reference to the implications of instability along the Durand Line, consider the following statements:
1)Border tensions adversely affect Afghanistan’s transit-dependent economy.
2)Persistent instability undermines Pakistan’s ambition to act as a regional trade corridor.
3)The Durand Line dispute has no relevance for India’s security interests.
Which of the above statements are correct?
A) 1 and 2 only
B) 2 and 3 only
C) 1 and 3 only
D) 1, 2 and 3
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: A) 1 and 2 only
🧠 Explanation:
1)✅ True – Trade and aid flows suffer due to border closures.
2)✅ True – Regional connectivity depends on stability.
3)❌ False – Terror spillovers affect India directly.
MCQ 4 | TYPE 4 — Direct Factual Question
Who were the signatories to the agreement that created the Durand Line?
A) Lord Curzon and Amir Habibullah Khan
B) Sir Henry Mortimer Durand and Emir Abdur Rahman Khan
C) Lord Mountbatten and King Amanullah Khan
D) Sir Stafford Cripps and Mohammad Zahir Shah
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: B) Sir Henry Mortimer Durand and Emir Abdur Rahman Khan
🧠 Explanation:
The 1893 agreement was signed between the British Indian Foreign Secretary and the Afghan Emir.
MCQ 5 | TYPE 5 — UPSC 2025 Linkage Reasoning Format (I, II, III)
Consider the following statements:
Statement I:
The Durand Line continues to be a persistent source of instability in South Asia.
Statement II:
Afghanistan has never formally accepted the Durand Line as an international border.
Statement III:
The Durand Line fragmented ethnically homogenous Pashtun tribal regions during colonial rule.
Which one of the following is correct?
A) Both Statements II and III are correct and both explain Statement I
B) Both Statements II and III are correct but only one explains Statement I
C) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
D) Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
🟩 Correct Answer: A)
🧠 Explanation:
✅ Non-recognition sustains diplomatic and security tensions.
✅ Ethnic fragmentation fuels long-term instability.
Together, they explain why the Durand Line remains volatile.
