The European Space Agency has developed a candidate design for a demonstrator spacecraft that could flight test Nuclear Electric Propulsion systems for deep space missions by 2035.
The RocketRoll consortium has submitted the design as part of a technology roadmap to develop a Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) system capable of sending European spacecraft to Mars and beyond for manned expeditions.
The candidate RocketRoll spacecraft design would demonstrate NEP’s viability and launch in 2035.
With its high energy density, NEP offers speed, autonomy, and flexibility advantages compared to chemically-fueled spacecraft propulsion systems. Nuclear propulsion technology could enable longer-duration missions, potentially shaping the future of interplanetary exploration.
RocketRolls consortium-member Tractebel, which has experience in nuclear engineering said it will drive the development of NEP technology alongside its partners.
Brieuc Spindler, space product owner at Tractebel said, “I am proud to lead such an important initiative in nuclear electric propulsion, which could enable exploration and in-space logistics in Earth Orbit and beyond on a scale that neither chemical nor electrical propulsion could ever achieve.
“I am committed to navigating the intricate technical and strategic challenges ahead. By leveraging its nuclear expertise and innovative solutions. Tractebel will help advance space technologies and push the boundaries of the final frontier’s exploration.”
Although they have limitations, electrical propulsion systems are increasingly being looked at by the space industry, especially for missions beyond the Moon. Projects such as NASA’s AEPS (Advanced Electric Propulsion System) thrusters and UK company Pulsar’s nuclear fusion-based propulsion system aim to increase power outputs and solve energy storage challenges of electrical propulsion systems.
The roadmap is a significant milestone for the ESA-funded RocketRoll (pReliminary eurOpean reCKon on nuclEar elecTric pROpuLsion for space appLications) project, which launched a year ago.
The roadmap and design were produced by nuclear engineering firm Tractebel, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), ArianeGroup, Airbus and consultants Frazer Nash. The consortium also included researchers from the University of Prague, the University of Stuttgart and engineers from OHB Czechspace and OHB System in Bremen.
