Rolls-Royce is halting the development of its mini nuclear reactor, which was planned for use on the Moon. The decision to put a pin in the development of this reactor is coming after the contract expired last year.
Rolls-Royce and Lunar Nuclear Reactors
In 2023, Rolls-Royce got £9 million in funding from the UK government to kick off the development of a nuclear reactor to be used on the Moon. All was going according to plan, and the firm was seeking launch partners in the US to help it achieve the goal of transporting the reactor to the Moon.
However, things seem to have hit a roadblock as the engineering firm is now halting the development of the nuclear reactor. The decision to halt this project was made as a result of the fact that its government contract expired last year.
While this is the case, reports show that the UK engineering firm is ready to resume work on the development of the nuclear reactor. But the firm faces yet another challenge, which is the lack of potential partners to enable it to execute the work at hand.
According to previous reports, the nuclear reactor Rolls-Royce is developing is capable of generating up to 100kW of power. This is enough power to run lunar habitats and aid exploration for future missions to the Moon.
The US Races To Build A Nuclear Reactor For The Moon As Rolls-Royce Stalls
The Rolls-Royce nuclear reactor had been expected to be ready for use and sent to the Moon by 2029. Considering the halt on its development, there might be some delay, hence pushing its expected launch window back.
While Rolls-Royce tries to start development again, the US is already racing to develop its own lunar nuclear reactor. NASA currently has plans to send its nuclear fission reactor to the Moon by 2030, and it will be responsible for powering the US lunar base. However, the bidding for the development of this reactor is limited to only American firms.
