Partnership Announced to Develop Nuclear Propulsion for Space Power

Source: Space Nuclear Power Corporation

Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes) was selected as a commercial partner to design and develop an advanced fission reactor for the Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience (SPAR) Institute. The SPAR Institute is led by the University of Michigan under the U.S. Space Force University Consortium’s Space Strategic Technology Institute 3 for Advanced Space Power and Propulsion. The key technology being pursued is nuclear electric propulsion, coupled with a nuclear reactor power system with electric propulsion technology. NEP spacecraft can product thrust 5- to 25-times more efficiently than traditional chemical rockets, allowing superior capability to maneuver with less concern of running out of propellant.

SpaceNukes is uniquely positioned for SPAR as the only US company with experience designing, building and testing a new reactor concept in the past 50 years. In 2018, the KRUSTY test demonstrated SpaceNukes’ Kilopower reactor power system, which is a ready-to-fly technology that can enable numerous missions on the Moon, Mars, and in deep space.

In collaboration with students and faculty at the University of Michigan, SpaceNukes will be developing a second-generation reactor technology that will provide game-changing capability for both civilian and defense purposes. The key attribute of second-generation technology is higher reactor and radiator temperature, which provides much lower mass and smaller size than a solar array of similar power. A lighter, more compact profile provides easier deployment, increased agility, and better protection from adversarial detection and threats.