NASA will soon initiate a program to develop a mid-power space reactor with a lunar fission surface power (FSP) variant ready for launch by 2030.
The United States is planning to put nuclear reactors in space within the next 3-4 years, according to a report. The White House recently released a policy memo stating that NASA will soon initiate a program to develop a mid-power space reactor with a lunar fission surface power variant, ready for launch by 2030.
The agency can plan to develop a space variant for a nuclear electric propulsion demonstration.Fission power systemsNASA will partner with multiple vendors to develop fission power systems through at least a preliminary design review and ground tests that demonstrate hardware performance , pending successful achievement of all milestones, according to the memo.
The White House’s overall strategy is to conduct parallel and mutually-reinforcing NASA and Department of War design competitions to enable near-term demonstration and use of low- to mid-power space reactors in orbit and on the lunar surface, and prepare to deploy high-power reactors in the 2030s.
The memo also mentioned that NASA should prioritize integrated designs for mid-power FSP and NEP, using common elements and mature, demonstrated technologies to the extent reasonable for both applications. Set to be designed for compatibility with launch vehiclesNEP variants will be designed for compatibility with launch vehicles that will be readily available by 2029, and should ensure that planning for power usage does not drive the overall technical, cost, or schedule risk of the project.
iv. The mid-power reactors will be designed to provide at least 20 kilowatt electric during at least 3 years in orbit and at least 5 years on the lunar surface, as per the memo.
The report also highlighted that NASA should consider including one low-power reactor among its selections, designed to provide at least 1 kWe, if doing so offers lower cost and schedule risk. For any development of a low-power option, NASA should consider opportunities to leverage common technologies for mid-power FSP and NEP. Reactor design proposals should consider extensibility to higher power levels, and at least one selected design should be for a reactor that is extensible to at least 100 kWe, according to the memo.
Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House’s science and technology policy office, unveiled the policy at the Space Symposium. He tied it to President Donald Trump’s December executive order that aimed to “ensure space superiority” for the United States, Defense One reported.
“Nuclear power in space will give us the sustained electricity, heating, and propulsion essential to a permanent robotic and eventually human presence on the moon, on Mars, and beyond,” Kratsios said.
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