In an official press release issued on July 22, 2024, Rolls-Royce declared that it had secured an award of £4.8m from the UK Space Agency to support the development of its space nuclear Micro-Reactor technology. The new funding has been provided under the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) Major Projects call, issued by the UK Space Agency in October 2023.
We are pleased to announce that we’ve secured funding from the @UK-space-agency under the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP). The new £4.8m award will help us develop and demonstrate key technologies in our space nuclear micro-reactor.#FIA2024https://t.co/35QM7fNVAW pic.twitter.com/cG1NvQ4i8Z
— Rolls-Royce (@RollsRoyce) July 22, 2024
“The National Space Innovation Programme will help kickstart growth, create high-quality jobs, protect our planet, and preserve the space environment for future generations. New projects like this one, led by Rolls-Royce, go to the heart of what we want to achieve as a national space agency that supports cutting-edge innovation, spreads opportunity across the UK, and delivers the benefits of space back to citizens on Earth.”
— Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency
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The novel nuclear of Rolls-Royce
Well-known for its luxury cars and jet engines, Rolls-Royce has been producing nuclear reactors for the Royal Navy submarines since 1963. The knowledge, the technologies, and the supply chain developed during the last sixty years allow the company to become a leading player in other nuclear fields of application.
Proposed in 2017 to the UK Government, the Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) offers a new approach to building nuclear power stations. Starting from a single Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR), derived from submarine reactors, the SMR is prefabricated 470 MWe power stations that can be built at a lower cost and construction time than the traditional nuclear stations.
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The Micro-Reactor to power space applications and more
Scaling down with the dimensions, Rolls-Royce is developing the Micro-Reactor, a versatile next-generation nuclear reactor providing 1-10 megawatts of power, easily transportable and deployable at pace. Due to its compact dimensions and versatility, it can supply power across multiple terrestrial and space applications.
The Micro-Reactor can provide continuous power and efficient propulsion to give satellites a more flexible movement and to enable reliable surface power for future stations on the Moon.
In 2023, the company received a £2.9 million investment under the Lunar Surface Nuclear Power Contract and Phase 1 of the International Bi-Lateral Fund (IBF) to provide the concept of a lunar modular nuclear reactor. An IBF Phase 2 funding of £1.18m was released to the company in April 2024.
“The future of space exploration is greatly dependent on the ability to generate high levels of consistent power and our nuclear Micro-Reactor is the solution that will offer safe, reliable, and flexible power to a broad range of space missions.”
— Jake Thompson, Director of Novel Nuclear & Special Projects, Rolls-Royce
