Tag: nuclear power
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Could nuclear heaters keep astronauts warm on the moon? NASA is funding research to find out
This collage highlights some of the projects selected for funding through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program, including a study looking at radioisotope heating systems for moonwalking astronauts, depicted at center left. (NASA Graphic) NASA says it’s funding a new batch of far-out research projects, including a study evaluating how radioactive heaters can keep astronauts…
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City Labs Launches Commercial Nuclear-Powered CubeSat on SpaceX Rideshare Mission
City Labs has launched what it describes as the world’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite, marking a milestone in the development of alternative power systems for spacecraft. The company’s BOHR (Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability) spacecraft was launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-17 rideshare mission. According to City Labs, it is also the first CubeSat to carry a commercial nuclear…
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Firefly Gets $13M to Build NASA Skyfall Mars Aeroshell
Is Firefly Aerospace Building the Heat Shield for NASA’s Mars Helicopter Mission? Yes — and JPL just cut a $13 million check to make it happen. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $13 million subcontract to design and manufacture the aeroshell for the Skyfall mission — NASA’s first nuclear-powered interplanetary probe, targeting…
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Zeno Power raises $50M in funding to fuel development of next-gen nuclear batteries
An artist’s conception shows a lunar rover powered by a nuclear battery. (Zeno Power Illustration) Zeno Power, a startup that’s headquartered in Seattle as well as Washington, D.C., today announced the completion of a $50 million funding round to boost the development of nuclear batteries for maritime and space applications. The Series B round was…
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Space experts foresee an “operational need” for nuclear power on the Moon
In February, NASA celebrated the arrival of the first US-made lander on the Moon in more than 50 years, an achievement that helps pave the way for the return of American astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade. But the clock was ticking for Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus spacecraft after touching down on February 22 near the…
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Zeno demonstrates an innovative type of radioisotope heat source for off-grid power
Team members at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory remove Zeno Power’s strontium-90 heat source from a transfer port during a series of tests. (Zeno Power Photo) Zeno Power says it has successfully completed its first demonstration of a new type of radioisotope heat source that could be used to generate off-grid power in settings ranging from…
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How power is blazing a trail for America’s space effort — and for nuclear startups
An artist’s conception shows a nuclear thermal propulsion system at work in orbit (USNC-Tech Illustration) As more and more hardware goes into Earth orbit, and eventually to the moon and Mars, where will the power to run all those machines come from? That’s one of the questions under consideration at a State of the Space…
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Pentagon boosts two Seattle ventures working on nuclear-powered prototypes for space applications
An artist’s conception shows a spacecraft powered by Ultra Safe Nuclear systems. (USNC-Tech Illustration) Two Seattle companies have won Pentagon contracts to develop nuclear-powered prototypes for space applications, with orbital demonstrations set for 2027. The Defense Innovation Unit says Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies has been tasked with demonstrating a chargeable, encapsulated nuclear radioisotope battery called…
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USNC-Tech and Blue Origin win a contract for nuclear thermal propulsion design
An artist’s conception shows a spacecraft with a nuclear thermal propulsion system. (NASA Illustration) Seattle-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies and its partners are among three teams winning $5 million contracts from NASA and the Department of Energy to develop reactor designs for space-based nuclear thermal propulsion systems. USNC-Tech’s partners include its parent company, Ultra Safe…
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Space nuclear power is nearing critical mass as the final frontier’s next frontier
An artist’s conception shows a spacecraft firing up its nuclear thermal propulsion system. (DARPA Illlustration) The idea of putting nukes in space may sound like a national security nightmare, but the right kind of nukes are likely to be a must-have for long-term space exploration. At least that’s the way a panel of experts at…