Space Nuclear Power Corp. in Los Alamos, NM., a world leader in space fission technology, has been 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 in Ann Arbor under the U.S. Space Force University Consortium’s Space Strategic Technology Institute 3 for Advanced Space Power and Propulsion.
A primary goal of the effort is to develop vehicles that can “Maneuver Without Regret.” The key technology being pursued by the Institute is Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) couples a nuclear reactor power system with electric propulsion technology.
An NEP spacecraft can produce thrust 5- to 25-times more efficiently (thrust/unit mass) than traditional chemical rockets, thus allowing a superior capability to maneuver with less concern about running out of propellent.
Space Nuclear Power Corp. states it is uniquely positioned for SPAR as the only U.S. company with experience designing, building, and testing a new reactor concept in the past 50 years.
In 2018, the so-called 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 2nd-generation reactor technology that will provide game-changing capability for both civilian and defense purposes.
The key attribute of 2nd-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.
For more information, visit Space Nuclear Power Corporation.
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