NASA has been running its Kilopower test, called KRUSTY (Kilopower Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY), at the Department of Energy’s Nevada National Security Site. Project Prometheus/Project Promethian was established in 2003 by NASA to develop nuclear-powered systems for long-duration space missions. NASA will lead an innovative and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and international partners to enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities. Learn about Mars. An illustration of a Kilopower nuclear reactor on the moon. Get the latest updates on NASA missions, watch NASA TV live, and learn about our quest to reveal the unknown and benefit all humankind. Kilopower is a lightweight, mobile nuclear fission reactor developed by NASA and the US Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Credit: NASA.
Kilopower reactors range from 1 kilowatt — about enough to power a household toaster — to 10 kW. NASA is developing the experimental reactor to provide reliable energy for long-duration crewed missions to the moon, Mars and destinations beyond.
NASA is considering a flight test of that fission reactor technology, possibly flown on a lunar lander, in the mid-2020s. Learn about Moon to Mars.
NASA and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) have successfully demonstrated a new nuclear reactor power system that could enable long-duration crewed missions to the Moon, Mars and destinations beyond. Learn about the Moon. NASA.gov brings you the latest images, videos and news from America's space agency. We're Going Forward to the Moon to Stay: Explore Moon to Mars. The idea for using nuclear power in space dates back to the late 1950s, when they were considered for providing propulsion through Project Orion. Nuclear reactors could be used to power ion engines such as this one used on Deep Space 1. It … A fission reactor works by splitting atoms and releasing energy in the form of heat, which is converted into electricity.