NASA is working to design a robust and sustainable power supply on the Moon using nuclear fusion.
NASA is collaborating with the Idaho National Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a power source that is independent of solar energy for future missions to the Moon by the end of this decade. “Providing a reliable high-power system on the Moon is the next crucial step in space exploration, and that goal is within our reach,” said Sebastian Corbisiero, head of the Surface Nuclear Power Project.
Idaho National Laboratory. (Photo: Idaho Falls Magazine)
If the project successfully supports human habitation on the Moon, the next target will be Mars. NASA states that surface nuclear fusion power could provide a sustainable and abundant power supply regardless of environmental conditions on the Moon or Mars. “I hope the surface power system will bring significant benefits to the plans for powering structures on the Moon and Mars, and even stimulate demand for use on Earth,” shared Jim Reuter, deputy director of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.
The reactor will be constructed on Earth and then transported to the Moon. The plan for the surface nuclear power system includes a reactor core using uranium fuel, a system to convert nuclear energy into usable electricity, a thermal management system to cool the reactor, and a distribution system that provides at least 40 kilowatts of continuous power for 10 years in the lunar environment.
Additional requirements include the ability to shut down autonomously without human intervention, operation from the lunar lander deck, disassembly, and operation on a mobile system to move to different locations. Furthermore, when launched from Earth to the Moon, the system must fit within a cylindrical compartment with a diameter of 4 meters and a length of 6 meters. The system should not weigh more than 6,000 kg. The initial design is expected to be completed by February 19, 2022.
The Idaho National Laboratory has collaborated with NASA on numerous projects in the past. Most recently, the laboratory developed a power generation system using radioactive isotopes for NASA’s Perseverance rover. This system converts the heat generated from the natural decay of plutonium-238 isotopes into usable electricity. The Perseverance rover is roughly the size of a car and landed on Mars in February of this year, where it continues to operate.
