NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program: Status Update

Carl E. Sandifer II; Colleen Van Lear; J. Michael Newman; Bethany Eppig; Ryan Edwards; Emily Hsu; Sujita Pierpoint

NASA NTRS · 20230003264

NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program: Status Update

Carl E. Sandifer II·Colleen Van Lear·J. Michael Newman·Bethany Eppig·Ryan Edwards·Emily Hsu·Sujita Pierpoint

Abstract

Radioisotope power systems (RPS) have safely been in use in the United States for over 60 years. RPS-enabled NASA missions have utilized space nuclear power to explore planets, moons, and interstellar space. This exploration resulted in changes to our understanding of our Solar System and our place within it. In 2010, NASA HQ established a NASA program to invest in RPS technologies and systems that could enable future missions. The RPS Program ensures the availability of RPS for the exploration of the solar system in environments where conventional solar or chemical power generation is impractical or impossible. The RPS Program, in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy continues to operate as an interagency partnership to provide robust power system solutions to spacecrafts that conduct missions for exploration and science that otherwise would not be feasible. This paper provides a synopsis of current activities after well over a decade of formal interagency partnering.

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Radioisotope NASA DOE MMRTG Mod 0 Mod 1 LWRHU Next Gen RTG DRPS Radioisotope Power Systems Radioisotope Power Systems Program CRP National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Launch Authorization Constant Rate Production Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Dynamic Radioisotope Power System

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Carl E. Sandifer II, Colleen Van Lear, J. Michael Newman, Bethany Eppig, Ryan Edwards, Emily Hsu, Sujita Pierpoint. NASA’s Radioisotope Power Systems Program: Status Update. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20230003264

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