NASA has plans to send astronauts back to the Moon in 2024. Not only that, they also plan to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon.
This was revealed from a request for proposals submitted by NASA and the United States Department of Energy. The two are looking for partners who can design and develop a mini nuclear reactor to take to the Moon.
The nuclear reactor will be the source of energy for the Artemis mission, which marks the return of humans to the Moon for the first time in 50 years. NASA is preparing a $5 million contract for selected partners and the reactor should be ready to fly by 2030.
These nuclear reactors are important to support the activities of astronauts in the long term because they cannot rely solely on sunlight. If the project is successful, it is likely that a human mission to Mars will also carry a nuclear reactor.
NASA wants this reactor to use a nuclear fission system. This system creates energy by breaking down heavy atomic nuclei into lighter ones, and releasing energy as a by-product.
"Large amounts of energy will be key to future space exploration," said Jim Reuter, Associate Administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.
"I hope that fission power systems will greatly benefit our plans for energy architecture on the Moon and Mars and even drive innovation on Earth."
This nuclear reactor will be built on Earth and flown to the Moon. For this reason, this reactor must be able to be loaded into a rocket with a height of 5.5 meters and a width of 3.6 meters and must weigh less than 5,987 kg.
NASA is looking for a nuclear reactor that can operate without the aid of sunlight, can control the temperature to keep it cool, and the system can provide 40 kW of energy for 10 years.
