{"id":52040,"date":"2024-10-18T12:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=52040"},"modified":"2024-10-18T12:04:02","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:04:02","slug":"space-force-funds-35m-for-nuclear-microreactor-space-propulsion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/space-force-funds-35m-for-nuclear-microreactor-space-propulsion\/52040\/","title":{"rendered":"Space Force funds $35m for next-gen nuclear microreactor spacecraft propulsion"},"content":{"rendered":"
The effort, spearheaded by the University of Michigan, brings together a national team of universities and industry partners to integrate rapid chemical rockets with highly efficient electric propulsion systems powered by a nuclear microreactor.<\/p>\n
This groundbreaking project seeks to overcome existing propulsion challenges, offering both agility and sustainability for space exploration and national defence.<\/p>\n
The newly established Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness, and Resilience Institute involves eight universities and 14 industry partners.<\/p>\n
Their mission is to create a propulsion system that marries the speed of chemical rockets with the efficiency of electric propulsion, enabled by a nuclear microreactor.<\/p>\n
Currently, spacecraft rely on either fast-burning chemical rockets or slow but efficient electric propulsion systems, which are typically powered by solar energy.<\/p>\n
Chemical rockets, while capable of delivering a lot of thrust, quickly exhaust their fuel supply, creating operational limitations.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, electric propulsion, powered by solar arrays, is more fuel-efficient but lacks the speed required for critical manoeuvres.<\/p>\n
The Space Force seeks a propulsion system that allows spacecraft to manoeuvre quickly without running the risk of being hampered by limited fuel reserves.<\/p>\n
One of the primary challenges of electric propulsion is finding a reliable power source to generate enough electricity for faster travel.<\/p>\n
Benjamin Jorns, an associate professor at the University of Michigan and the institute’s director, highlighted that the power demands of these systems far exceed what solar panels can provide.<\/p>\n
For instance, the International Space Station (ISS)<\/a> generates around 100 kilowatts of power, but it requires massive solar arrays the size of two football fields, which are impractical for many space missions.<\/p>\n To address this challenge, the team is developing a nuclear microreactor to power electric propulsion systems.<\/p>\n Unlike traditional solar-powered thrusters, this microreactor would provide a compact, sustainable, and reliable power source. Teams are working on turning the reactor’s heat into usable electricity and then converting that electricity into thrust.<\/p>\n The system will also include a chemical rocket component for quick manoeuvres, ensuring that the spacecraft can handle both immediate high-thrust situations and long-duration, efficient propulsion.<\/p>\n The initiative encompasses several innovative technologies, from heat conversion to fuel efficiency. Teams from different universities and industry partners will work together to create and refine components.<\/p>\n Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp., for example, is designing a lightweight nuclear microreactor, while researchers at U-M will simulate its output to test other elements of the system.<\/p>\n Two subteams are focusing on converting thermal energy from the microreactor into electricity. U-M and Spark Thermionics are investigating thermionic emission cells, which use the heat difference between space and the reactor to generate electrical currents.<\/p>\n Another team, in collaboration with Antora Energy, is developing thermal photovoltaics\u2014like solar cells but designed to convert heat into electricity instead of light.<\/p>\n Three distinct electric propulsion technologies are being explored in this initiative: the Hall thruster<\/a>, the applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic thruster<\/a>, and the electron cyclotron resonance thruster.<\/p>\n Each propulsion method will rely on a system that converts propellant into gas and includes a cathode to neutralise any electrical charge buildup in the spacecraft.<\/p>\n Additionally, U-M and Pennsylvania State University are working on a new chemical rocket concept, while Benchmark Space Systems will provide an already-developed commercial rocket system for proof-of-concept testing.<\/p>\n By combining nuclear microreactors and electric propulsion, the project promises to deliver significant improvements in the ability to manoeuvre spacecraft efficiently and quickly in space.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A $35M Space Force initiative combines nuclear microreactors and electric propulsion for faster, more efficient spacecraft manoeuvres.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":52041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[771],"tags":[24407,3477,809],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIntegrating technologies for optimal spacecraft propulsion<\/h3>\n