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NASA Plans to Launch a Nuclear Reactor in Space

Catwell

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Artist’s concept of the Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft flying past Mars. (Image Credit: NASA)

Solar power can be limited for deep space travel. When spacecraft move farther away from the sun, the sunlight reaching their solar panel weakens. To address that issue, NASA is turning to a nuclear reactor for its deep space propulsion test. And that starts with the Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft, expected to launch in late 2028. This mission will also carry three small SkyFall helicopters to survey the terrain and find potential landing sites for crewed missions.  

Nuclear fission will produce power for the spacecraft. The onboard reactor uses High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) as fuel, which undergoes fission. Heat is released before being turned into electricity through a closed Brayton cycle power conversion system. Overall, the system generates 20 kW of electricity. The Power and Propulsion element produces 48 kW of power for the systems and propulsion, which has a 12-kW Hall thruster.

Electric propulsion doesn’t need as much propellant as chemical propulsion because it expels propellant at higher velocities. While electric thrusters generate low thrust, they run for hundreds or thousands of hours, delivering sustained acceleration for deep space missions.

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The flight path of Freedom’s journey to Mars. (Image Credit: NASA)

Set for a late 2028 launch, Freedom arrives at Mars in 2029. Once there, it will cruise by the planet. NASA can then test nuclear-electric propulsion in deep space without landing the spacecraft. Doing it this way reduces risks with using nuclear systems in space. Tests like these could help the space agency prepare for future nuclear-powered missions.

Additionally, the Space Reactor-1 Freedom will deliver the SkyFall payload. SkyFall enters the Mars atmosphere, deploying three Ingenuity-style helicopters in mid-air after the parachute and braking rockets slow down the descent. Afterward, the helicopters fly away and land on the surface. With ground-penetrating radar and imaging equipment aboard, the helicopters are expected to help find subsurface ice. It’s also designed to measure wind speed, air temperature, and wind direction.

This isn’t the first time nuclear technology is being used in space. In 1965, the US Air Force and the Atomic Energy Commission launched SNAP-10A, the first nuclear reactor in space. It only lasted 43 days and generated over 500 watts of power.

NASA is also developing a nuclear-fission reactor to provide power on the moon. The system could produce 40 kW of power on lunar nights. Freedom serves as a test mission for building nuclear propulsion experience.

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