![]() ![]() NASA plans to demonstrate and use a fission surface power system on the Moon first, then Mars.Fission surface power can provide abundant and continuous power regardless of environmental conditions on the Moon and Mars.Safe, efficient, reliable energy will be key to future robotic and human exploration. The Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) experiment showed that the system performed as expected under both normal and off-normal conditions.įission Surface Power – NASA plans a sustained presence on the Moon under Artemis and eventually Mars. NASA and DOE conducted an experiment to demonstrate heat transfer technologies using highly enriched uranium fuel in May 2018.A DOE reactor study completed in March 2020 identified low-enriched uranium reactor solutions roughly the same weight as the high-enriched system.An October 2020 NASA-DOE memorandum of understanding expands on it, establishing working groups that focus on space nuclear power and propulsion. A 2016 memorandum of understanding between NASA and DOE serves as the basis of this inter-agency work. ![]() In 2021, in partnership with NASA, the DOE issued a Request for Proposal asking American companies for design concepts for a fission surface power system that could be ready to launch within a decade for a demonstration on the Moon. ![]() This technology would benefit future exploration under the Artemis umbrella.
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