In just a few years, small nuclear reactors are to fly to the Moon, which will provide a power source for the planned space base or bases on the Silver Globe. The work has been going on for several years, but now these activities are closer to completion than ever.
NASA’s lunar plans. Nuclear reactors will fly into space
The first manned mission to land on the Moon since Apollo will launch (called Artemis 3) most likely in December 2025 or 2026. Simultaneously with preparations for Artemis 3 – and the preceding Artemis 2 mission, which will not end with a landing but with an orbit around the Moon – intensive work is underway to prepare the final concept of a small nuclear reactor that will be a power source on the Silver Globe.
As part of the Artemis program, astronauts will explore the region of the Moon’s south pole, where obtaining sufficient energy from solar panels is impossible during the lunar night (lasting about 14 Earth days). Preparing an alternative power source to heat and power lunar bases in extremely cold conditions (where temperatures drop even below -200 degrees Celsius) is therefore necessary.
As , one such nuclear reactor is to fit in a cylinder 6 meters long and 4 meters in diameter and should provide a maximum of 10 kilowatts of power. It is also supposed to stop without any problems in extreme, often changing conditions – from extreme cold to “heat” reaching 130 degrees Celsius during the day. NASA should receive ready-made designs from private entities within the next year, and the first of the planned four reactors should fly into space in a few years at the earliest.
Interestingly, small nuclear reactors in space are no longer a novelty (although the ones used so far generate much less power). The (newer) Perseverance and (older) Curiosity rovers are already operating on Mars.
NASA will send a nuclear drone to other moons in the solar system
As if that were not enough, this week we will talk about carrying out two series of tests of the Dragonfly drone currently under construction (“Dragonfly” in Polish), which in a few years (at the earliest in mid-2027) will fly to another moon in the Solar System – Titan. It is Saturn’s largest moon and an extremely unique object.
Titan is slightly larger than our Moon, but has a very thick atmosphere. There are lakes of liquid hydrocarbons on its surface (it is the only place outside Earth where the existence of lakes of liquid substances on the surface has been confirmed), and under the surface there may be a crust of water ice and a global ocean of liquid water.
The Dragonfly will be the size of an average car and will be equipped with eight rotors. The drone will use electricity from a small nuclear reactor to move quickly around Titan using lift in the dense air. This will be the second flying vehicle of this type (after Ingenuity on Mars) to be sent to a celestial body other than Earth.
Source: Gazeta
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