Duffy went further than simply saying he wants the United States to beat China to the moon, however. The acting NASA chief said that he wants the U.S. to claim the "best" part of the moon for itself.

Sean Duffy wants to fast-track putting a 100kw nuclear reactor on the moon, according to a directive he sent out Thursday. It would help win the "space race."

It’s a power move. The Trump administration aims to accelerate the construction of a nuclear reactor on the moon, Transportation Secretary and acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy wrote in a memo distributed internally on Monday.