As the world enters a new era of space exploration, a question has been puzzling some of the greatest minds here on Earth: how to ensure a reliable and clean energy source to power our cosmic dreams. Rolls-Royce has been working on an answer to that inevitable question. The British company is mostly known for the cars that it manufactures, which are a wave of torque and opulence. The lasting luxury that a Rolls-Royce gives is exemplary of the engineering excellence that the company has in spades, but what you might not know is that Rolls-Royce makes small modular reactors.
Our universe is waiting for us to come and explore the vast open areas of space
For as long as mankind has had the ability to make conscious decisions, we have looked up to the vastness of space and wondered, will we ever reach a point in our modern civilization where we are able to dive into the sea of space and unravel the mysteries of the universe? Thankfully, Rolls-Royce has been working on what some may consider to be the future of space power.
Rolls-Royce has been developing a new type of modular reactor specifically designed to power our space dreams. The British firm has revealed a nuclear Space Micro-Reactor Concept Model that will power our space exploration dreams over the coming years. The reactor forms part of a larger initiative being backed by the UK Space Agency.
“All space missions depend on a power source and, as a self-contained and power-dense solution, a Micro-Reactor can provide power for the habitation and exploration of a planetary surface, or power and propulsion for spacecraft. Continuous power and efficient propulsion can also provide satellites with more flexible movement to protect and defend key orbits.” – Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce wants to power our collective space exploration ambitions
The company has been working on its Micro-Reactor technology that it hopes to deploy to a lunar station by 2030. While those ambitions are commendable, ensuring the safety and reliability of the technology may take some time. Due to the efficiency and lightweight design, a Micro-Reactor could provide the necessary power needed for space exploration, regardless of location or access to solar rays.
Rolls-Royce has been working alongside several institutions to develop the Micro-Reactor, such as:
- University of Oxford
- Bangor University
- Loughborough University
- University of Sheffield AMRC
- The Welding Institute
- Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
“Our Space Micro-Reactor Concept Model allows us to demonstrate how this technology will bring immense benefits for both space and Earth. Micro-Reactor technology will deliver the capability to support commercial and defence use cases alongside providing a solution to decarbonise industry and provide clean, safe and reliable energy.” – Abi Clayton, Director of Future Programmes for Rolls-Royce
NASA has been studying various regions of the cosmos in recent years, and Rolls-Royce is set to power our collective ambitions of developing a lunar station powered by its new Micro-Reactor technology. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait much longer to see the technology in use.
The future of space exploration is set to be powered by Rolls-Royce
One would never have thought that a company known around the world for producing luxury cars would become the leader in space power. But that reality has hit us all like a brick. With new discoveries being made nearly every day by NASA and other space institutions, the future of our species depends on whether we can safely and efficiently travel through space without the worry of where the power comes from. We can all rest a little bit easier in the knowledge that the space exploration ambitions of our species will be powered by Rolls-Royce.