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The Idaho National Laboratory will lead testing and fuel development efforts.
NASA could place a powerful 500-kilowatt-electric (kWe) nuclear reactor on the Moon by the end of 2030, as part of a bold, high-stakes move aimed at securing long-term US energy dominance in space.
The system, developed under the space agency’s Fission Surface Power Initiative, would represent a significant leap beyond the radioisotope generators that have powered missions like Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, and the Mars rovers for decades.
According to NASA, in comparison to smaller systems, a 500-kWe reactor could continuously power lunar habitats, industrial equipment, communication arrays and even resource extraction operations.
Continued below.
interestingengineering.com
NASA could place a powerful 500-kilowatt-electric (kWe) nuclear reactor on the Moon by the end of 2030, as part of a bold, high-stakes move aimed at securing long-term US energy dominance in space.
The system, developed under the space agency’s Fission Surface Power Initiative, would represent a significant leap beyond the radioisotope generators that have powered missions like Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, and the Mars rovers for decades.
According to NASA, in comparison to smaller systems, a 500-kWe reactor could continuously power lunar habitats, industrial equipment, communication arrays and even resource extraction operations.
Continued below.
US plans 500kW lunar nuclear reactor in bold 2030 space power push
NASA has advanced plans for a 500-kilowatt (kW) lunar nuclear reactor to power astronauts, Moon bases and deep space missions by 2030.