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Keyword：space nuclear reactors
MIT Scholar Advances Space Nuclear Power and Radiation Monitoring Research
Recently, Jake Hecla, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), is working to develop a series of innovative technologies aimed at solving the heat dissipation challenges of space nuclear reactors, enhancing radiation detection capabilities, and providing technical support for addressing emerging nuclear technology challenges and space arms control and nonproliferation. As humanity expands its ambitions for deep space exploration, energy-intensive missions will not be able to rely entirely on traditional solar power or chemical combustion, and nuclear energy has become a key power source for propulsion and surface survival. However, the lack of an atmosphere in space for convective heat transfer...
2026-11-13
DARPA Advances Autonomous Operation of Space Nuclear Reactors
Recently, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced that under the framework of the Fat Cat program, it has awarded an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) to space nuclear power startup Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes). The project is managed by Tabitha Dodson, program manager in DARPA's Defense Sciences Office, and aims to develop autonomous operation technology for deep-space fission reactors capable of self-regulation without the need for continuous human supervision. It is reported that the project is led by the same engineering team that previously successfully conducted the 2018 ground test of the Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling Technology (KRUSTY)....
2026-10-31