Canada eyes nuclear reactor on the moon
The Artemis II crew is set to depart from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in early February for the moon, where they will circle it and head home. This is the first step toward getting boots on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
It’s not just about planting a flag and collecting some rocks, as was the case during the space race in the 1960s. The long-term goal of NASA’s ambitious Artemis program is to explore the Moon with continued human presence. And from there, to Mars.
Maintaining a presence on the Moon will require energy. So how do you maintain a colony of people in a place where there is sunlight for about 14 days followed by darkness for 14 days?
Answer: Nuclear energy. And Canada is looking to move forward.
Earlier this month, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded $1 million funding to Canadian Space Mining Corporation (CSMC) will develop a low-enriched uranium nuclear reactor for use on the Moon.
When we think of nuclear reactors, we usually think of large buildings or steam towers, such as those seen in simpsons,
But there are also smaller modular reactors that are assembled in a factory and transported to a location.
And then there are the micro modular reactors that CSMC is looking to build, which are much smaller.
How far-reaching is the idea of a nuclear reactor on the Moon?
“The idea of using nukes in space in general is really not a new one. So if we go back to the Cold War, The Russians were prepared in case of nuclear reactors in space”said Kirk Atkinson, associate industrial research chair in the department of energy and nuclear engineering at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa.
,NASA is working on it For a decade or more now, and they’ve done demonstration experiments in the US where they’ve built a little reactor and it behaves exactly as you’d expect it to.”
Canada is in a unique position
Canada is not the only country in the race to build nuclear reactors that can be used on the Moon.
In August, NASA announced that it wanted Install nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030five years ago China and Russia plan joint reactor,
So why is Canada aiming to build a reactor on the Moon? When it does not even have the ability to launch rockets from its home soil (As yet,
“The international community is working together to establish a permanent presence on the Moon,” said Daniel Sacks, founder and CEO of Canadian Space Mining Corporation. “Jeremy Hansen is going on the next flight to the Moon, and Canada wants to contribute to international efforts as it has contributed in the past.”
Canada has a long time The history of Canada’s contribution to space exploration with technology and flights to distant asteroids and Mars is somewhat muted.
MDA Space, which built Canadarms, also recently Awarded $500,000 from CSA “For the development of algorithms and autonomous plant management tools for nuclear power systems on the lunar surface.”
“Canada is really good at space technology. We’re also really good at nuclear energy,” Sachs said. “So we’re working on it, trying to take advantage of both of those skills.”
Sachs says this type of reactor is not limited to the Moon. The company plans to use similar technology for use in remote and indigenous communities, many of which are still using diesel.
lunar challenges
As for the moon reactor, it will be built right here on Earth and then sent to the moon, Sachs explained. It will move on Earth partly autonomously and partly under surveillance.
But Atkinson said building a reactor to operate on the moon — where there is no atmosphere, where water would freeze and where there is less gravity — would have its own challenges. You also cannot use water or air to cool the reactor.
Then the problem is what to do with the spent fuel.
Jamie Noel said, “We have to think about nuclear waste disposal. I suspect it’s probably one of the last things they’ll think about.” Professor of Chemistry at Western University In London, Ontario. “(But) it must start with the design of the reactor.”
It also has a regulatory side.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen is headed to the Moon on the Artemis II mission. He sits down with CBC’s Nicole Mortillaro to talk about the physical, mental and collaborative parts of training to go to the furthest place humanity has ever visited.
Noel said, “Legal questions aside, who actually is the regulator of anything on the Moon? In Canada, it’s … the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.” “(Nuclear Energy of Canada) tried this idea of an autonomous reactor. Like once a month, they would send a technician out there to check things. And the CNSC said absolutely not.”
Whether this will be the case for the Moon or not remains to be seen.
Sachs, whose company is also researching ways to get water from the Moon, is excited for the future of human exploration, and says he hopes the company’s micro modular nuclear reactors can be used not only in Canada, but in remote communities around the world.
“I think humans will continue to explore, no matter what,” he said. “And I think if we can enable that exploration, but also…bring real economic value – real environmental value – to the lives of people here and solve some of the biggest problems we have in Canada, I think that’s incredible to work on.
