The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) have selected Westinghouse Electric to continue developing a space microreactor design.
The space microreactor concept is being designed under the Fission Surface Power (FSP) project.
The FSP project aims to develop conceptual designs for small, nuclear fission reactors capable of generating power to support astronauts on the Moon and beyond.
Awarded by DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), this contract builds on Westinghouse’s successful Phase 1 design work that included optimising FSP system designs and testing critical technology elements.
In June 2022, NASA, in partnership with Battelle Energy Alliance selected Westinghouse to provide an initial design concept for a fission surface power system.
US-based Westinghouse said that continued progress under the FSP project will support NASA’s lunar demonstration goal within the next decade.
Westinghouse government services president Richard Rademacher said: “Westinghouse appreciates the opportunity to continue demonstrating its leadership in designing microreactors for space and lunar exploration missions.
“This award reflects our close collaboration with NASA and the progress we’ve made on the FSP programme that will enable a strategic capability for the Artemis mission.
“We look forward to testing and demonstrating our proprietary microreactor technology in the coming years under this important NASA initiative.”
NASA’s FSP programme builds on its Kilopower project, which aims to develop affordable fission nuclear power for long-term planetary missions.
The space agency and DOE are designing a system that provides up to 40kW of power, enough to power 30 households for 10 years. A lunar demonstration will support sustainable operations and base camps on the Moon and Mars.
Westinghouse is using its eVinci microreactor technology to create a mass-efficient nuclear power and propulsion system for satellites, spacecraft, and planetary surface applications.
The microreactor delivers carbon-free, scalable energy for remote communities, industrial centres, defence facilities, and possibly on the lunar surface.
With few moving parts, these microreactors are said to offer versatility, reduced failure points, simple operation, and increased reliability for space missions.
The nuclear power company is also advancing carbon-free energy with safe nuclear and clean power technologies.
