KRUSTY
Sign in to saveAlso known as Kilopower
Kilopower is an experimental U.S. project to make new nuclear reactors for space travel. The project started in October 2015, led by NASA and the DoE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). As of 2017, the Kilopower reactors were intended to come in four sizes, able to produce from one to ten kilowatts of electrical power (1–10 kWe) continuously for twelve to fifteen years. The fission reactor uses uranium-235 to generate heat that is carried to the Stirling converters with passive sodium heat pipes. In 2018, positive test results for the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Techno
Key facts
- Nuclear reactor.name
- Kilopower reactor
- Nuclear reactor.image
- Kilopower experiment.jpg
- Nuclear reactor.caption
- Prototype NASA 1kW Kilopower nuclear reactor for use in space and planet surfaces
- Nuclear reactor.concept
- Stirling engine
- Nuclear reactor.generation
- Experimental
- Nuclear reactor.status
- In development
- Nuclear reactor.fuel_type
- HEU
- Nuclear reactor.fuel_state
- Solid (cast cylinder)
- Nuclear reactor.control
- Boron carbide control rod
- Nuclear reactor.reflector
- Beryllium oxide radial reflector
- Nuclear reactor.coolant
- Sodium heat pipes
- Nuclear reactor.thermal
- 4.3–43.3 kWth
- Nuclear reactor.use
- Long-duration space missions
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Kilopower experiment.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- nominal power output
- 10
- Commons category
- Kilopower
via Wikidata · CC0
~7 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Description
- Demonstration Using Flattop Fissions
- KRUSTY testing and first fission
- See also
- References
- External links
Kilopower is an experimental U.S. project to make new nuclear reactors for space travel. The project started in October 2015, led by NASA and the DoE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). As of 2017, the Kilopower reactors were intended to come in four sizes, able to produce from one to ten kilowatts of electrical power (1–10 kWe) continuously for twelve to fifteen years. The fission reactor uses uranium-235 to generate heat that is carried to the Stirling converters with passive sodium heat pipes. In 2018, positive test results for the Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY) demonstration reactor were announced.
Potential applications include nuclear electric propulsion and a steady electricity supply for crewed or robotic space missions that require large amounts of power, especially where sunlight is limited or not available. NASA has also studied the Kilopower reactor as the power supply for crewed Mars missions. During those missions, the reactor would provide power for the machinery necessary to separate and cryogenically store oxygen from the Martian atmosphere for ascent vehicle propellants. Once humans arrive the reactor would power their life-support systems and other requirements. NASA studies have shown that a 40 kWe reactor would be sufficient to support a crew of between 4 and 6 astronauts.