Kilopower Project: Los Alamos' New Nuclear Reactors Could Power Spacecraft and Moon Bases

D-brief
By John Wenz
Sep 17, 2018 11:00 PMMay 21, 2019 5:30 PM
Kilopower nuclear reactor is tested on the moon it could power space colony or base
The Kilopower small nuclear reactor could be tested on the moon in the coming years. (Credit: NASA)

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The future of space exploration may rest in the hands of a group of Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers. They’ve built the first of a new generation of small nuclear reactors intended to power missions to deep space and even future astronaut bases on the moon and Mars.

Called Kilopower, their project aims to achieve a longstanding dream of the space community: a safe, effective, and powerful nuclear power reactor that can power spacecraft for years. 

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