NASA may not have enough plutonium for the radioisotope thermoelectric generators of the Uranus exploration mission. In this respect informs space news.
Radioisotope thermoelectric generators are one of two ways to power spacecraft. Solar panels are an alternative, but they are ineffective in remote areas of the solar system or under clouds. RITEGs, on the other hand, generate energy from a piece of plutonium-238, which is constantly heated by radioactive decay (the heat can also be used for direct heating). At the same time, this isotope can only be produced artificially using a nuclear reactor, and the capacity of this production is limited.
At the 2 May Evaluation Group meeting [хода исследования] A NASA spokesperson said the agency is working with the Department of Energy to ensure that enough plutonium-238 is available for missions scheduled to begin within ten years.
“Together with the Ministry of Energy, we ensure that we can meet our mission obligations,” said Len Dudzinski.
Among other things, we are talking about a multi-purpose RTG and up to 24 heaters for the Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon Titan, which will be launched in 2027. NASA will also provide 40 heaters as part of the European Space Agency’s contribution to the Rosalind Franklin rover, which will launch in 2028.
However, these plans do not include the supply of plutonium for the Uranus Orbiter and Probe missions. NASA recently proposed to begin work on the mission as early as fiscal year 2024 to ensure launch in 2031 or 2032. Otherwise, the device will not be able to launch along a suitable trajectory using gravitational maneuvers. The journey to the planet will take 13 years from the moment of launch.
The mission is currently proposed to require three Next Generation RTGs, each using twice as much plutonium as the MMRTG (the previous generation generator).
Dudzinski said it would be possible to launch a mission to Uranus within the specified time frame if it only required one next-generation RTG and the planned New Frontiers mission did not require an MMRTG. He suggested that most likely RTG for the mission to discover uranium would appear in the mid-2030s.
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