Unless disrupted by storms or grid problems, electrical power for most people is no further than an outlet away. However, the solar system does not provide easy access to electricity as we know it on Earth. Astronauts could take advantage of a reliable power supply to explore both the Moon and Mars. The system will need to be lightweight and capable of running regardless of its location, the weather, or available sunlight and other natural resources.
A small, lightweight fission surface power system could provide up to 10 kilowatts of electrical power – enough to run several average households – continuously for at least 10 years. Four 10-kilowatt units could provide enough juice to power robust operations on the Moon and Mars.
NASA’s fission surface power project expands on the efforts of the agency’s Kilopower project, which ended in 2018. Currently, NASA is working with the Department of Energy (DOE) and industry to design a 10-kilowatt fission power system for the Moon. A future lunar demonstration will pave the way for sustainable operations and even base camps on the Moon and Mars.
Milestones:
- NASA and DOE conducted an experiment to demonstrate heat transfer technologies using highly enriched uranium fuel in May 2018. The Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) experiment showed that the system performed as expected under both normal and off-normal conditions.
- A DOE reactor study completed in March 2020 identified low-enriched uranium reactor solutions roughly the same weight as the high-enriched system.
- In partnership with NASA, DOE issued a draft request for proposals for fission surface power in December 2020. A forthcoming request for proposals will ask industry to begin designing a flight-ready fission surface power system.
- A 2016 memorandum of understanding between NASA and DOE serves as the basis of this inter-agency work. An October 2020 NASA-DOE memorandum of understanding expands on it, establishing working groups that focus on space nuclear power and propulsion.
Fast facts:
- Fission surface power can provide abundant and continuous power regardless of environmental conditions on the Moon and Mars.
- NASA plans to demonstrate and use a fission surface power system on the Moon first, then Mars.
- NASA is collaborating with DOE and industry to design, fabricate, and test a 10-kilowatt class fission power system to operate on the Moon by the late 2020s.
- NASA’s fission surface power project builds on heritage projects spanning 50 years, including SNAP-10A, NASA’s Kilopower project, and recent developments in commercial nuclear power and fuel technology.
- Fission surface power reactor designs will focus on using low enriched uranium fuels.
Partners:
NASA’s fission surface power project is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The technology development and demonstration are funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Technology Demonstration Missions program, which is located at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
NASA is partnered with DOE and its national laboratories on the fission surface power project. The space agency will define the mission and system requirements.
Learn more:
- 6 Technologies NASA is Advancing to Send Humans to Mars
- Demonstration Proves Nuclear Fission System Can Provide Space Exploration Power
- Read About the Concluded Kilopower Project
Technical papers:
- Dec. 1, 2019: A Comparison of Energy Conversion Technologies for Space Nuclear Power Systems
- July 9, 2018: The Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY (KRUSTY) Nuclear Ground Test Results and Lessons Learned
- Oct. 1, 2017: NASA’s Kilopower Reactor Development and the Path to Higher Power Missions
- June 1, 2015: Development of NASA’s Small Fission Power System for Science and Human Exploration
- Feb. 4, 2015: Nuclear Power Assessment Study Final Report
- Dec. 1, 2013: Heat Pipe Powered Stirling Conversion for the Demonstration Using Flattop Fission (DUFF) Test
- Dec. 1, 2011: A Small Fission Power System for NASA Planetary Science Missions
- Dec. 1, 2011: A Small Fission Power System with Stirling Power Conversion for NASA Science Missions
- Aug. 1, 2010:Fission Surface Power System Initial Concept Definition
- Feb 1, 2006: A Comparison of Fission Power System Options for Lunar and Mars Surface Applications
