Rolls-Royce is to build a modular nuclear reactor on the moon. The reactor is to supply power to future lunar bases in the future, which will be home to astronauts.
The investment is part of the Micro-Reactor project. The UK Space Agency, a UK government organisation, is investing £2.9 million (about €3.3 million in conversion) in the project. The investment will allow Rolls-Royce, among other things, to realise a demonstration of the modular nuclear reactor to be built on orbit.
Additional research
The company also plans to use the money to conduct additional research on the nuclear reactor. This specifically involves the fuel for generating heat, the method by which this heat is transferred and the technology that eventually converts the heat into energy. Rolls-Royce wants to have developed a modular nuclear reactor by 2029 that it can send to the moon.
Last year, Rolls-Royce already received research funding of £249,000 from the UK Space Agency.
Small and lightweight system
The modular nuclear reactor offers several advantages, Rolls-Royce reports. For instance, the system is relatively small and lightweight compared to other power generation systems. The system can achieve a continuous supply of energy regardless of its location. Environmental factors such as the availability of sun and wind also play no role.
Rolls-Royce is collaborating with several other parties within the project. These include University of Oxford, University of Bangor, University of Brighton, University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and Nuclear AMRC.
Broad applications possible
The applications of the modular reactor, incidentally, are broader than just space. For instance, Rolls-Royce expects the reactor to be used for a variety of commercial applications as well as defence applications. The project therefore aims to realise a widely deployable modular nuclear reactor. Space is one of the applications in this respect. The power source should be able to serve multiple markets with clean, sustainable and long-term available energy.
"Space exploration is the ultimate laboratory for so many of the transformational technologies we need on Earth: from materials to robotics, food, cleantech and more," said UK Science Minister George Freeman. "As we prepare to see humans return to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, we are supporting exciting research like this modular lunar reactor with Rolls-Royce to pioneer new energy sources for a lunar base.
"Partnerships like this between UK industry, the UK Space Agency and government help create jobs in our £16bn Space Tech sector and help ensure the UK remains a major force in frontier science."
Part of wider investment package
The investment from the UK Space Agency is not unexpected. It is part of a wider funding package aimed at UK companies. This package is intended to boost the development of communication and navigation systems for missions on the moon
This focus is part of the space agency's Moonlight programme. Among other things, this programme should lead to the launch of a satellite constellation in orbit. Through this satellite network, astronauts, rovers, scientific experiments and other equipment should be able to communicate, share data and navigate the lunar surface, among other things.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
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