And at least one should be ready for launch before 2030. 🌑
. Under this program, NASA aims to send a human mission to the south pole of the Moon by 2025. However, unlike previous lunar missions, the aim of the Artemis program is not just to visit the Moon but to stay there.
For humans to stay on the Moon, one of the major hurdles to cross is how a proposed settlement will be powered. Solar panels are great for powering rovers, but the human settlement will require a continuous as well as reliable source of power. Scientists have turned to nuclear fission as the technology has been used extensively on Earth and is also relatively small and lightweight to be sent to the Moon.
The DOE has awarded $5 million contracts to the three companies listed above for Phase I work that will see the companies develop their preliminary designs over a 12-month period. The contracts were awarded through Idaho National Laboratory, whose director John Wagner said," The Fission Surface Power project is a very achievable first step toward the United States establishing nuclear power on the Moon. I look forward to seeing what each of these teams will accomplish."The award is also aimed at helping NASA gain critical information to develop a full-flight certified fission-powered system, the press release said. If all goes as planned, one of these systems will be ready for a launch by the end of the decade and sent to the Moon for demonstration purposes.
"New technology drives our exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate."Developing these early designs will help us lay the groundwork for powering our long-term human presence on other worlds."Stay ahead with the latest science, technology and innovation news, for free:
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