The U.S. military wants a space nuclear system demonstration to happen by 2027. This might be possible after two Seattle-based companies won the contract of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU).
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A long exposure was used to create this image) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch complex 39A on May 6, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was carrying another batch of Starlink internet satellites to be deployed to a growing low obit constellation providing Internet access coverage to 32 countries.
The U.S. Department of Defense organization announced on May 17 that it chose Ultra Safe Nuclear and Avalanche Energy, allowing them to show their space-based nuclear techs.
But, DIU hasn't announced if they will only pick one or two of the upcoming power systems.
The U.S. military explained that they want to have a space nuclear system efficient enough to help them keep an eye on government and commercial activities in the cislunar space (the space region between Earth and the moon).
US Military Space Nuclear Power System Demonstration
According to Space.Com's latest report, the United States is expecting space activities in the cislunar space region to increase in the coming decades.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch complex 39A carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft on a commercial mission managed by Axion Space at Kennedy Space Center April 8, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first fully private crew on an 10-day mission to the International Space Station is commanded by former NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria.
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One of these missions is NASA's Artemis program, which aims to bring people to the moon. As of writing, the two Seattle companies are still working on their new nuclear systems.
SpaceNews reported that Ultra Safe Nuclear would demonstrate its so-called EmberCore; a nuclear radioisotope battery that can lead to more efficient spacecraft power and propulsion.
USNC's battery is expected to help NASA space explorations once it is tested and proven safe.
"This 'next-gen' radioisotope system will be able to scale to 10 times higher power levels, compared to plutonium systems, and provide more than 1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy in just a few kilograms of fuel," said the Defense Innovation Unit.
Other Space-Based Nuclear Techs You Can Expect
Aside from EmberCore, you can also expect Avalanche Energy's Orbitron, which can generate energetic particles after trapping fusion ions in electrostatic fields.
The heat and electricity that Orbitron creates are expected to power high-efficiency propulsion systems. Meanwhile, DARPA is also looking to demonstrate its own nuclear tech.
Although the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is not connected with DIU's efforts, it still plans to develop a new nuclear thermal rocket engine.
Previously, a nuclear fusion experiment achieved 59 megajoules of energy.
Some experts also claimed that the largest nuclear fusion reactor might not work as the fuel crisis worsens.
For more news updates about space-based nuclear techs and other similar innovations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
