Rolls-Royce has been awarded funding £4.8m ($6.2m) by the UK Space Agency under the National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), to significantly advance the development and demonstration of key technologies for its space nuclear microreactor. This is one of 13 awards totalling $33m made by the UK Space Agency under NSIP.

The Rolls-Royce NSIP will have a total project cost of £9.1m and aims to progress the microreactor’s overall technology readiness level, which will bring the reactor closer to a full system space flight demonstration.

In collaboration with academic partners from the University of Oxford and Bangor University, over the next 18 months, the project will develop the whole system design, underlying capabilities and key technologies. Rolls Royce said this “will help unlock the UK’s participation in the developing space nuclear power markets and clearly demonstrate the UK’s capability and readiness to move towards a detailed design”. An initial flight demonstration is anticipated by 2030.

Limitations of existing power sources, such as solar, creates operational challenges to which nuclear fission reaction technologies are widely considered the solution, and an essential enabler for lunar surface activity. Rolls Royce noted: “Operating independently from the Sun, the microreactor can persistently and resiliently meet the significant power requirements to enable long-term exploration and scientific efforts on the Moon and in space.”

According to Jake Thompson, Director of Novel Nuclear & Special Projects at Rolls-Royce the funding is “a pivotal point in our microreactor programme and will accelerate our technology progression, bringing us a step closer to powering inspiring human endeavours in space”. He added: “The future of space exploration is greatly dependent on the ability to generate high levels of consistent power and our nuclear microreactor is the solution that will offer safe, reliable and flexible power to a broad range of space missions.”

UK Space Agency CEO Dr Paul Bate said NSIP “will help to kickstart growth, create high-quality jobs, protect our planet and preserve the space environment for future generations”. He noted: “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.”