Rolls-Royce has been awarded funding by the UK Space Agency under the National Space Innovation Programme(NSIP) to further develop its space nuclear power technology.
Advances in space nuclear power in the United Kingdom
This new funding, valued at £4.8 million, comes from theNSIP Major Projects program and will advance the development and demonstration of technologies for its space nuclear microreactor.
The Rolls-Royce National Space Innovation Program project has a total cost of £9.1 million and is focused on raising the technology readiness level of the micro reactor. This advancement will bring the reactor closer to a future space flight demonstration of the complete system, under new safety and power performance parameters.
Over the next 18 months, Rolls-Royce will work in collaboration with academics at Oxford University and Bangor University to develop the full system design, its underlying capabilities and the necessary technologies. This program will contribute to and boost the UK’s participation in emerging space nuclear power markets, while consolidating and successfully demonstrating the country’s capability as it moves towards a detailed design, with a flight demonstration planned for later this decade.
On the other hand, the realization of the project will require the use of reliable power and propulsion. And currently, the available energy sources, such as solar, present limitations that create operational challenges. For this reason, nuclear fission technologies, widely considered to be the ideal solution, have been chosen because they can operate independently of the sun. The nuclear micro reactor can consistently meet high energy demands, enabling exploration and scientific activities on the Moon and in space.
Jake Thompson, Rolls-Royce’s director of nuclear and special projects, expressed his satisfaction with this achievement:
“We are delighted to receive this award from the National Space Innovation Program and to continue our collaboration with the UK Space Agency. This funding is important for our Micro-Reactor program because it will accelerate our technological progress and bring us closer to driving inspiring human initiatives in space. The future of space exploration depends heavily on the ability to generate high levels of constant power, and our nuclear micro-reactor is the solution that will provide safe, reliable and flexible power for a wide range of space missions.”
For his part, Dr. Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, commented:
“The Kingdom’s National Space Innovation Program will increase growth, create high-quality job opportunities, protect our planet and preserve space technology for future generations. New projects like this, led by Rolls-Royce, are central to our goals as a national space agency, supporting cutting-edge innovation, distributing opportunities across the UK and delivering the benefits of space to citizens on Earth.”
The Space Microreactor – Energy in space. Source: Rolls-Royce
This investment follows the announcement in April this year, in which the UK Space Agency awarded £1.18 million to Rolls-Royce as part of the second phase of the International Bilateral Fund. This follows the £2.9 million awarded in 2023, earmarked for the Lunar Surface Nuclear Power Contract and the first phase of the IBF project, which resulted in an initial concept for a U.K. lunar modular nuclear modular reactor.
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Source and photo: Rolls-Royce
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