US space agency aiming for lunar demonstration project within next decade
Nasa has chosen Westinghouse to continue the development of a space microreactor design for a fission reactor that could provide astronauts a reliable power supply for use on the Moon and beyond.
Westinghouse said the project, backed by the US Department of Energy through the federal Fission Surface Power (FSP) programme, will build on the successful design work Westinghouse has already completed on FSP systems.
The company said it aims to begin testing of critical technology elements.
“The continued progress under the FSP project can enable Nasa’s goal of a lunar demonstration within the next decade,” Westinghouse said in a statement.
Nasa’s FSP programme expands on the efforts of the its Kilopower project to develop affordable fission nuclear power technologies for long-duration stays on planetary surfaces.
Nasa is working with the DOE to design a fission power system that would provide up to 40 kW of power – enough to continuously run 30 households for 10 years.
A future lunar demonstration will pave the way for sustainable operations and base camps on the Moon and Mars.
Westinghouse said it is leveraging its eVinci microreactor technology to develop a resilient and mass efficient nuclear electric power and propulsion system for satellite, spacecraft and planetary surface power applications.
The eVinci, which has yet to be deployed, will generate reliable electricity and heating for remote communities, universities, mining operations, industrial centres, data centres, defence facilities, and soon the lunar surface and beyond, Westinghouse said.
