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MUMBAI: Nasa is inching closer to accomplishing its plan to put nuclear power on the moon by 2030. In a recent statement, it has said it is wrapping up the initial phase of the project, which it has called Fission Surface Power Project.
The lunar nuclear project is significant as Nasa plans a sustained human presence on the moon, and later, on Mars. The first phase of the project focused on developing concept designs for a small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactor that could be used during a future demonstration on the moon and to inform future designs for Mars.
Nasa awarded three $5-million contracts in 2022 tasking each commercial partner with developing an initial design. It specified that the reactor should be under six metric tons and be able to produce 40 kW of electrical power, ensuring enough for demonstration and additional power to run lunar habitats, rovers, backup grids, or science experiments. The space agency also said the reactor should operate for a decade without human intervention.
“A demonstration of a nuclear power source on the moon is required to show that it is a safe, clean, reliable option,” Trudy Kortes, Nasa’s programme director, technology demonstration missions, has been quoted as saying.
Kortes said: “The lunar night is challenging from a technical perspective, so having a source of power such as this nuclear reactor, which operates independent of the sun, is an enabling option for long-term exploration and science efforts on the moon”.
According to Nasa, a nuclear reactor could be placed in permanently shadowed areas of the moon — where there may be water ice or generate power continuously during lunar nights — which are 14-and-a-half earth days long.
Nasa plans to extend contracts for the first phase to gather more information before the second phase begins in 2025. The target date for delivering a reactor to the launch pad is in early 2030s.
The lunar nuclear project is significant as Nasa plans a sustained human presence on the moon, and later, on Mars. The first phase of the project focused on developing concept designs for a small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactor that could be used during a future demonstration on the moon and to inform future designs for Mars.
Nasa awarded three $5-million contracts in 2022 tasking each commercial partner with developing an initial design. It specified that the reactor should be under six metric tons and be able to produce 40 kW of electrical power, ensuring enough for demonstration and additional power to run lunar habitats, rovers, backup grids, or science experiments. The space agency also said the reactor should operate for a decade without human intervention.
“A demonstration of a nuclear power source on the moon is required to show that it is a safe, clean, reliable option,” Trudy Kortes, Nasa’s programme director, technology demonstration missions, has been quoted as saying.
Kortes said: “The lunar night is challenging from a technical perspective, so having a source of power such as this nuclear reactor, which operates independent of the sun, is an enabling option for long-term exploration and science efforts on the moon”.
According to Nasa, a nuclear reactor could be placed in permanently shadowed areas of the moon — where there may be water ice or generate power continuously during lunar nights — which are 14-and-a-half earth days long.
Nasa plans to extend contracts for the first phase to gather more information before the second phase begins in 2025. The target date for delivering a reactor to the launch pad is in early 2030s.
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