NASA officials have expressed confidence in the agency’s plans to launch a nuclear electric propulsion demonstration mission by the end of 2028. This follows a recent visit to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), where the mission’s reactor is being developed.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya visited INL on August 7 to review work on nuclear reactors, including designs developed by the lab and several companies testing small nuclear reactors with potential space applications.
SR-1 Freedom Mission
The SR-1 Freedom mission, announced in March, will utilize a 20-kilowatt-electric nuclear reactor to power an electric propulsion system, originally developed for the lunar Gateway. The spacecraft will propel to Mars, where it will deploy SkyFall, a set of helicopters modeled on the Ingenuity rotorcraft that accompanied the Perseverance Mars rover.
According to Isaacman, SR-1 Freedom is intended to be a precursor for future space nuclear power and propulsion systems, drawing comparisons to the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine. He envisions a series of SR missions, incorporating new technology, ultimately leading to a vehicle capable of crewed Mars missions.
Progress and Challenges
NASA has provided regular updates on its lunar base plans but has said little about SR-1 since its announcement. However, the agency has finished a design sync review for the mission, examining the status of major elements, including the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and the spacecraft structure.
The mission’s reactor design, based on the Versatile Autonomous Lightweight Kilowatt-class Reactor Experiment (VALKRE), will use high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). While details about the reactor design are limited, NASA officials expressed satisfaction with the progress made at INL.
The December 2028 launch date requires the reactor to be completed by spring 2028, posing a significant challenge. The biggest issue is the procurement of components, as nuclear reactor startups also require some of the same components.
Collaboration and Future Plans
NASA and INL have been cooperating well on the SR-1 Freedom mission, with a “badgeless” collaboration between the agencies. The goal is to develop a reactor design that can be extended to later applications, such as the proposed Lunar Reactor 1, and eventually handed over to industry for future space missions.
Examples of extensible technology include the reactor’s use of a Brayton power conversion system and heat-pipe technology, which can be scaled up for larger reactors. The SR-1 Freedom program aims to develop a reactor design that can be revised and grown by private industry for future space missions.
Norman Pearlstine is the Chief Editor of News Raise and focuses on Business news. His responsibility is to oversee the editorial content including business, commodities, personal investments and the stock market.
