Interplanetary travel to Mars aboard nuclear-powered spacecraft may sound like science fiction — but NASA is planning to make it a reality.
The Space Reactor-1 Freedom mission is scheduled to launch by December 2028 to explore Mars, with NASA Breaking as “the first nuclear powered interplanetary spacecraft”.
NASA also has plans for it DETERMINED a small nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030 for it Artemis programalthough any reactor on the lunar surface would look nothing like the large nuclear power plants found on Earth. And the White House has moving to create a National US Space Nuclear Energy Initiative.
The United States is not alone in pursuing nuclear power in space. Interest in nuclear power sources in space now includes a growing list of national and regional space agencies, private actors and research institutions.
Beyond the hype, technical feasibility and timelines are only part of the story. Nuclear power in space must also be governed responsibly.
Nuclear power in space: why now?
Nuclear power sources in space vary in purpose and design. Some supporting instruments and communications. Others can power bases on celestial bodies, or propel spacecraft over great distances.
Radioisotopic energy systems are a type. They generate electricity from the heat released by the natural decay of a radioactive isotope, plutonium-238.
Meanwhile, the fission reactors separated atoms to release heat. As in nuclear power plants on Earth, heat can be converted into electricity. In space, this can power operations and infrastructure on celestial bodies, as well as propulsion systems.
On the Moon, a day-night cycle lasts approx 29.5 Earth dayswith darkness that lasted for about a fortnight. The landings of Apollo were with time occur during the early lunar day. A permanent presence will require reliable power to operate throughout the long lunar night. Solar power alone is unlikely to be sufficient.
Space Reactor-1 Freedom will also use a fission reactor for support nuclear propulsionwhere nuclear-generated electricity drives. For Mars, it can shorten travel time and reduce astronauts’ exposure to cosmic radiation.
While technological ambitions continue to expand, the idea of using nuclear power beyond Earth is hardly new.
Later Apollo missions used radioisotope thermoelectric generators to power science experiments on the Moon.
Similar systems continue to power sustainable missions, including Mars rovers Curiosity and Persistence, and the twin Voyager spaceshipwhich still communicate with us from interstellar space.
Fission reactors have flown in space before. During the Cold War, the US began SNAP-10A in orbit. It remains the only US fission reactor successfully started, although it shut down after about six weeks.
Soviet Union went furtherlaunching nuclear-powered radar ocean reconnaissance satellites (RORSAT) into orbit to monitor US Navy ships.
Security risks and technical challenges
Any conversation about the nuclear future in space forces us to learn from the nuclear past.
An important precedent is Cosmos 954a nuclear-powered Soviet RORSAT that made an uncontrolled re-entry in 1978 over Canada’s Northwest Territories.
Kosmos 954 showed how dangers in space can quickly become dangers on Earth. Radioactive waste spread over 600 kilometers, reaching traditional lands of indigenous peoples, SPECIALLY Dene, Inuit and Métis communities. This caused a major cleanup. No community should have to face such risks.
In addition to uncontrolled reentry, another risk is launch failure. missiles it may explode on the rise. However, space nuclear systems are designed to limit the radiological consequences of such accidents.
Fission reactors must withstand extreme temperatures, radiation and vacuum. Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are studying how reactor materials and designs can perform under harsh conditions.
End-of-life planning also mattersraising questions about dismantling, disposal and intergenerational responsibility.
These risks have prompted legal and political responses, although gaps remain.
Rules and guidelines
This is not about placing nuclear weapons in orbit or on celestial bodies. of Outer Space Treaty of 1967 prohibits it. International law does not prohibit nuclear energy sources in space. But it seeks to ensure that they are used safely.
After Kosmos 954, the United Nations approved Principles relevant to the use of nuclear energy sources in outer space in 1992, being developed by the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
The principles require pre-departure security assessments, notification and international assistance if risks of re-entry arise, and recognize state responsibility and the responsibility of departing states.
They say reactors should not go “critical” before reaching their operational orbit or interplanetary trajectory, helping to reduce the risk of radiological damage to people and the environment if an accident occurs.
COPUOS and the International Atomic Energy Agency jointly developed a broader security framework in 2009, providing guidance on launch authorization, emergency preparedness and response, and the operation and end-of-service phases.
The implementation of the safety framework and future work on nuclear energy sources in space still remain under multilateral discussion.
The UN principles and security framework are not binding. Security assessments and release authorizations remain largely a matter for individual states. This leaves room for internal regulation and different levels of risk tolerance, even though the consequences of an accident can cross borders.
Governing responsibly
As a growing number of public and private actors seek to develop space-based nuclear capabilities, states must consistently apply the UN principles and security framework and cooperate multilaterally to update or supplement them where necessary.
International coordination and information sharing are essential. Responsibilities and risks do not stop at national borders.
Domestic regulators must pursue the highest safety standards, incorporate accountability, and resist pressures to allow compressed timelines, strategic competition, or commercial gain to set the standard. ROOM it affects us all.
Nuclear power will continue to figure in humanity’s extraterrestrial ambitions. Wherever it goes and whoever uses it, security and accountability must come first.
Art Cotterell is a postdoctoral student, Faculty of Law and Justice, UNSW Sydney
This article was reprinted from Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read on original article.
