Space for nuclear

From fuel to outer space power plants, the world is developing different usages of nuclear energy to explore the deep space

- ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY

A NEW GLOBAL space race has nations on their toes as they chart ambitious plans to go beyond the moon and Mars. They are all betting big on nuclear energy, touted to be the fastest and most efficient means of venturing into deep space.

Nuclear batteries, dubbed Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators or Rygs, have been powering spacecraft for more than six decades. They perform two key functions: providing power to keep the on-board instruments running, and supplying heat to protect the instruments from the cold environs of space. In 1961, the first RTGpowered satellite, the Transit 4A spacecraft, took off from the US. Since then, several nuclear-powered missions have been launched, including 25 from the US. Russia has also invested in this technology. In 2013, China soft-landed its RTG-powered Chang'e 3 robot on the moon. NASA's Perseverance rover, which touched down on Martian soil in 2021, is also nuclear-powered.

The global discourse is now moving beyond RTGS. The US and China plan to set up a nuclear power reactor on the moon to provide electricity for astronauts camping on the lunar body.

In 2021, NASA invited proposals from industries to design nuclear power systems for lunar applications. By 2030, the space agency plans to set up a plant that will continuously provide 10 kilowatts (kW) of power—the average annual power intake of a home on Earth. Now China is hoping to do one better. According to news reports, the country is trying to build a reactor that generates 1 megawatt (MW) of electric power.