As humanity looks towards building an outpost on the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis Programme by 2030, researchers at Bangor University in the UK have developed an ingenious solution to provide reliable energy on the lunar surface. They’ve created nuclear fuel cells, each the size of poppy seeds, to generate the essential energy required to sustain life in the harsh lunar environment.
The Bangor University team collaborated with prestigious partners including Rolls Royce, the UK space agency, NASA, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the US to develop these miniaturized nuclear fuel cells, named Trisofuel.
These Trisofuel cells could power a micro nuclear generator produced by Rolls Royce, which is also portable enough to fit in a small car or even a pocket. This technology addresses the crucial energy requirement for a Moon base, as the lunar surface experiences extreme temperature fluctuations, with some areas plunging to as low as -248°C.
The small size and adaptability of these nuclear fuel cells make them an ideal solution for powering life-sustaining systems in space and on other planetary bodies. The technology will undergo rigorous testing, simulating the harsh conditions of space travel, in preparation for deployment on the Moon by 2030.
Professor Simon Middleburgh, co-director of the Nuclear Futures Institute at Bangor University, highlighted the importance of nuclear power in space exploration: “On the moon and on planetary bodies that have day and night, we can no longer rely on the Sun for energy and therefore must design systems such as the small micro-reactor to sustain life. Nuclear power is the only way we currently have to provide the power for that length of space travel. The fuel must be extremely robust to survive the forces of launch and then be dependable for many years.”
This innovative development in nuclear energy could play a pivotal role in realizing the dream of establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon, unlocking the gateway to Mars and harnessing the Moon’s abundant resources for future exploration.
