NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland has unveiled a new source of power for deep space missions.
The device, about the size of a beer keg, generates electricity through a controlled nuclear reaction.
It鈥檚 a mini-nuclear reactor called .
At its unveiling Wednesday, NASA engineers said that it could power a lunar space station, or missions to Mars and beyond.
Los Alamos National Laboratory鈥檚 is co-designer of the system.
He says the new Kilopower system marks a milestone in US energy technology.
鈥淭his is the first new reactor not just for space 鈥� not just for NASA, but of any kind in the U.S. in 40 years.鈥�
Poston says the self-contained Kilopower unit makes the Mars mission more feasible.
鈥淚t can get us places much quicker and much further out than we could ever do with anything else,鈥� says Poston.
The space fission power system can provide up to 10 kilowatts of electrical power -- enough to run several average households -- continuously for at least ten years. Four Kilopower units would provide enough power to establish an outpost.
Poston says the new Kilopower unit is a much simpler design than conventional nuclear plants.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not hi-tech," says Poston. "This is as simple as you could make a reactor, which is what鈥檚 great about it.鈥�
NASA safety experts say the Kilopower unit presents a minimal risk because the reaction doesn鈥檛 start until it鈥檚 deployed in space, and the components are self-contained, requiring minimal maintenance.
NASA would not say when the mini-nuclear reactor will be ready for space testing, but will likely be part of the mission in the next decade.
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