A poppy seed-sized nuclear fuel cell could power NASA’s Artemis lunar base when it becomes operational around 2030.Designed by researchers at Bangor University Nuclear Futures Institute Dubbed ‘Trisofuel’ in the UK, the small power source is intended to run on a micro-nuclear generator roughly the size of a small Rolls-Royce car. According to reports of BBC, engineers plan to begin full testing of the new fuel in the coming months. If successful, the use of Triso fuel could extend well beyond the lunar surface.
Momentum is rapidly building to establish a permanent human presence, perhaps near the lunar south pole, and scientists hope to find water-based ice to support habitation. NASA’s ongoing Artemis program is progressing toward a proposed base construction in late 2010, with the most recent successful first mission in November 2022. Last month, India made history as the fourth country to land a rover on the moon via Chandrayaan. Three spacecraft and the first rover to the lunar south pole.
[Related: India’s successful moon landing makes lunar history.]
Given their size and relative power, a resource like Triso fuel could be critical to the success of a lunar base. However, due to its portability, the new nuclear fuel cell could easily be adapted to a variety of other scenarios, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. Phyllis McCrange, a researcher involved in the Trisofuel trial, explained: BBC These tiny fuel pellets could one day power a rocket that will take humans to Mars. “It’s very powerful and gives a very high thrust, the thrust that it gives to the rocket. This is very important because it allows the rocket to reach the most distant planets,” Makrunje explained.
In fact, Triso fuel could be so powerful that it could almost halve the time it takes to reach Mars from an estimated nine months to four to six months. “Nuclear power is currently the only way to provide the power needed for a space trip of this length,” said Simon Middleberg, a professor at Bangor University. said in a release. “The fuel must be very robust, withstand the forces of launch, and be reliable for many years.”
At a more local level, the researchers believe, microgenerators that power Trisofuel could also be deployed in disaster areas where power grids are damaged.
Securing a reliable and powerful fuel source is another, but securing the structure to house such a system is another hurdle altogether. Of course, researchers are now working hard to optimize construction options for the proposed lunar base design. Potential building materials can also be harvested from the moon itself, or lunar regolith can be used to strengthen 3D-printed bricks to form foundation structures.
