3 ms·

Startup Plans to Launch Nuclear Reactor into Space for First Time in Decades

• WalterGR 4y ago
  The title begs the question: when was the last time? Relevant excerpt: > Though many orbiters, deep-space probes, and Mars rovers run on radioisotope batteries fueled by plutonium, the United States has only ever launched one nuclear fission reactor in space, called SNAP-10, in 1965. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNAP-10A https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SNAP-10A
  • aerostable_slug 4y ago
    The Soviets launched quite a few fission reactors into space to power a variety of satellites, to include their RORSAT active radar naval reconnaissance birds, ending around 1987. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_power_systems_in_space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_power_systems_...
    • WalterGR 4y ago
      And the ones that re-entered the atmosphere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_954 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_1402 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosmos_1402