NASA, Roscosmos, and CNSA: Current NASA plans envision a fission reactor on the lunar surface that would provide at least 100 kilowatts of electrical power as well as heat for a base camp for the crews of the lunar-landing Artemis missions.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Roscosmos is working with the China National Space Administration to deploy a reactor to power their planned Lunar Research Station.
U.S. officials hope to accomplish the U.S. goal by 2030—five years in front of the stated goal of the Russia-China collaboration.
Previous technology: The Power Technology article goes on to explain the various limitations of radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), fuel cells, and solar cells, which have previously been used for powering lunar spacecraft and other space missions. The limitations for these three systems include, respectively, scaling difficulties, the need for fuel replenishment, and the inability to function at the dark south pole of the moon (which is of interest because of its water ice). Therefore, “nuclear fission has emerged as the most viable, durable solution” for a crewed moon base, the article states.
Many challenges: According to the Department of Energy, the present idea is to transport a fully constructed fission reactor to the moon via rocket. This mode of transport will place size and weight limitations on the reactor introduces challenges of landing, activating, and operating it in the unusual environment of the moon.
Lacking air and convection, the lunar environment will affect the reactor’s efficiency. NASA is planning to use a closed Brayton cycle system for waste heat rejection and power conversion. However, getting rid of the waste heat is “a significant engineering hurdle” without air, the article notes. Heat rejection and thermal management constitute one of the key problems that is being worked on by Lockheed Martin, which has a contract through Idaho National Laboratory to develop lunar reactor designs. X-energy and Westinghouse also have lunar reactor contracts.
The other unique technical challenges for a functioning lunar nuclear reactor involve low gravity, high cosmic radiation, no atmosphere, frequent impacts of small meteorites, abrasive dust, and extreme temperatures. In addition, any reactor on the moon will have to keep functioning with only minimal maintenance from astronauts. No nuclear reactor on Earth has had to face such novel difficulties, so these represent significant new technical hurdles for reactor designers.
Ambitious but achievable: An unnamed DOE spokesperson is quoted in the article as saying that “2030 is an ambitious but achievable goal. A nuclear reactor on the moon will enable discovery and economic opportunities by providing robust power for research and industrial operations in a harsh environment.”
Russia and China are also optimistic about their lunar reactor plans. Mohammed Ziauddin, an analyst at GlobalData (the parent company of Power Technology), is quoted in the article, observing that “Russia uses older but reliable technology, while China uses newer but untested technology; I think this combination can be successful, but the U.S. can still outpace them with the right attitude and, more importantly, with the right budget.”
