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NASA has green-lighted a Rochester Institute of Technology project to develop a mini-nuclear power source for small satellites, or cubesats. Photo/NewAtlas
These solar panels do their job very well, but in deep space far beyond the orbit of Mars, sunlight can’t produce the energy it needs. Alternatively, many spacecraft carry Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermal Generators (MMRTGs), which use temperature gradients to generate electricity.
MMRTG’s problem is its relatively large size. On NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover, it measures 64 cm in diameter, 66 cm in length and weighs 45 kg. As a result, these MMRTGs are used for very large spacecraft, the size of an SUV.
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Quoted from the NewAtlas page, Thursday (19/1/2023), NASA’s mini nuclear power source project is expected to reduce the large size ratio to one tenth or only 3 W/kg. It does this using a new principle which is basically solar panels working in reverse.
The new radioisotope power source works on the idea of a thermoradiative cell, in which heat in the form of infrared light hits a solar panel with elements made of indium, arsenic, antinomy, and phosphorus in various combinations. This produces a potential difference with reversed polarity from that found in solar cells.
“Long story short, thermoradiative cells generate electricity from heat and dispose of waste energy in the form of infrared photons. This works with much greater efficiency to produce a new ThermoRadiative Generator (TRG), “wrote the NewAtlas page.
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If this new technology can be made practical, it means future missions to Jupiter and beyond, could use spacecraft the size of a cubeSat with a tiny generator. This means that the Uranus Flagship mission concept, for example, could be accompanied by a small fleet of cubeSats that can aid exploration by providing more vantage points.
(wib)
