A file photo of a warning sign is displayed at a warehouse containing containers filled with spent nuclear fuel. , Photo Credit: Reuters
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Scientists working with the European Space Agency (ESA) are developing batteries made from nuclear waste americium to power space missions. Moon or regions far from the solar system where solar energy is limited, according to Science magazine Nature,
Once developed, the same basic power system can be reused on any mission on which solar power is not available. To ensure safety, the batteries are encapsulated in layers including a platinum alloy that is sealed in americium, allowing heat to escape, the journal noted.
Until now, ESA has relied on US or Russian partners, which have used plutonium-238 batteries to power space missions. The new technology, once developed, would allow the space agency to operate spacecraft without relying on solar panels and equipment from international partners.
Americium, which will be used to make the new battery, is a by-product of plutonium decay and has never been used as a fuel. It can be extracted from reprocessed nuclear fuel used in civilian power plants and made into fuel pellets, which form the core of batteries.
America’s advantage over plutonium-238 is that it is cheaper and more abundant. It has a longer half-life than plutonium-238, so it lasts longer. It is more readily available and costs less to produce than plutonium-238, which has been in short supply over the past decade, Nature reported.
European ministers recently approved $30 million in funding to build the battery system. ESA plans to launch US-based power sources in its Moon missions as early as the 2030s. Its purpose is to study the lunar surface and support astronauts working there.
After that, the agency also aims for a space mission to the ice giants Uranus and Neptune in the 2040s. The US space agency NASA also considers americium very interesting for its Artemis programme, which aims to establish a long-term presence on the Moon. Nature noted.