Idaho National Laboratory: Battelle Energy Alliance, NASA seek industry partners to design nuclear power system for lunar applications

Battelle Energy Alliance, contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, and NASA are seeking proposals from nuclear and space industry leaders to develop innovative technologies for a fission surface power (FSP) system for lunar power applications. The request for proposal can be viewed here. Proposals are due by Feb. 19, 2022.

The FSP project is sponsored by NASA in collaboration with the Department of the Energy and INL to establish a durable, high-power, sun-independent power source for NASA missions on the moon by the end of the decade, as well as potential subsequent missions. The proposal request targets the initial system design.

A draft of the request for proposal has received significant interest from industry. “The feedback and enthusiasm we continue to see for space nuclear power systems has been very exciting, and understandably so. Providing a reliable, high-power system on the moon is a vital next step in human space exploration, and achieving it is within our grasp.” said Sebastian Corbisiero, the Fission Surface Power Project lead at INL.

“Plentiful energy will be key to future space exploration,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate in Washington, D.C., which funds NASA’s fission surface power project. “I expect fission surface power systems to greatly benefit our plans for power architectures for the moon and Mars and even drive innovation for uses here on Earth.”