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NASA's New Nuclear Reactor Could Change Space Exploration

The Kilopower reactor is tiny, and it could power the spacecraft of the future.

By John Wenz
Feb 11, 2019 12:00 AMDec 16, 2020 9:13 PM
Kilopower Reactor - NASA
NASA and National Nuclear Security Administration engineers lower the wall of a vacuum chamber around the Kilopower reactor system. The chamber will help test how the system performs in space-like conditions. (Credit: NASA)

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Want to start a space colony? Even if you don’t, space agencies across the globe do. Whether it’s a moon base now, à la the Trump administration’s plans for NASA, or a Mars landing later, such a colony will need a lot of power. And given the possibility of light-obscuring dust storms on the Red Planet and the moon seeing an uneven amount of sunlight, solar panels may not cut it. But don’t worry — Los Alamos National Lab has a plan.

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