The space agency awarded $15 million in contracts for three preliminary nuclear reactor designs.
The problem with creating a lunar base is that sending equipment to the lunar surface is very expensive. Delivery cost is estimated at $100,000 per 0.45 kg.
The cargoes must also withstand 14 days of continuous heat, when the temperature outside the shade reaches 120 ° C, as well as 14 nights when it drops to -130 ° C.
In this case, the most practical option is a very compact, lightweight power source that uses high-energy fuel. In other words, nuclear energy.
The Artemis program requires a modular, scalable nuclear system that can operate for up to ten years.
NASA along with the National LaboratoryThe US Department of Energy in Idaho has awarded contracts to Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse and IX, as well as their partner companies. They should develop the initial designs for lunar reactors. The contracts are valid for 12 months.
The goal of Phase 1 contracts is to getinformation that will serve as the basis for the construction of industrial reactors for the Moon and Mars. In addition, the technology is being used to improve the design of nuclear missiles that are going to be used in circumlunar and deep space.
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