Engineering:List of nuclear power systems in space
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This list of nuclear power systems in space includes Script error: No such module "Table row counter". nuclear power systems that were flown to space, or at least launched in an attempt to reach space. Such used nuclear power systems include:
- radioisotope heater units (RHU) (usually produce heat by spontaneous decay of The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist.)
- radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTG) (usually produce heat by spontaneous decay of The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. and convert it to electricity using a thermoelectric generator)
- miniaturized fission reactors (usually produce heat by controlled fission of highly enriched The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. and convert it to electricity using a thermionic converter)
Systems never launched are not included here, see Nuclear power in space.
Initial total power is provided as either electrical power (We) or thermal power (Wt), depending on the intended application.
| Nation | Mission | Launched | Status | Location | Notes | Type | System name | Nuclear fuel | Power (nominal) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transit-4A | 1961 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-3B | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 2.7 We | [1] | ||
| Transit-4B | 1961 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-3B | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 2.7 We | [1] | ||
| Transit 5BN-1 | 1963 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-9A | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 25.2 We | [1] | ||
| Transit 5BN-2 | 1963 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-9A | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 26.8 We | [1] | ||
| Transit 5BN-3 | 1964 | Destroyed | - | Failed to reach orbit, burned up in atmosphere. | RTG | SNAP-9A | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 25 We | [2] | |
| SNAPSHOT | 1965 | Intact | Earth orbit | Low graveyard orbit in 1300 km height | Fission reactor | SNAP-10A | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. (uranium-zirconium hydride) | 500 We | [1] | |
| Nimbus B (Nimbus-B1) | 1968-05-18 | Destroyed | - | Crashed at launch, radioactive material from RTG recovered from ocean and reused | ||||||
| Nimbus 3 (Nimbus-B2) | 1969-04-14 | Destroyed | - | Earth re-entry 1972 | RTG | SNAP-19B (2) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 56 We | [1] | |
| Nimbus IV | 1970 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-19 | [3] | ||||
| Nimbus V | 1972 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-19 | [3] | ||||
| Nimbus VI | 1975 | Damaged | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-19 | [3] | ||||
| Nimbus VII | 1978 | Damaged | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-19 | [3] | ||||
| Apollo 11 | 1969 | Intact | Lunar surface | Sea of Tranquility | RHU | RHU (2) | 30 Wt | [1] | ||
| Apollo 12 ALSEP | 1969 | Intact | Lunar surface | Ocean of Storms[4] | RTG | SNAP-27 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 73.6 We | [1] | |
| Apollo 13 ALSEP | 1970 | Intact | Earth ocean | Survived reentry, remains at 7000+ ft depth, Tonga Trench, Pacific Ocean | RTG | SNAP-27 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 73 We | [1] | |
| Apollo 14 ALSEP | 1971 | Intact | Lunar surface | Fra Mauro | RTG | SNAP-27 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 72.5 We | [1] | |
| Apollo 15 ALSEP | 1971 | Intact | Lunar surface | Hadley–Apennine | RTG | SNAP-27 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 74.7 We | [1] | |
| Pioneer 10 | 1972 | Intact | Solar escape trajectory | RTG | SNAP-19 (4) + RHU (12) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 162.8 We + 12 Wt | [1] | ||
| Apollo 16 ALSEP | 1972 | Intact | Lunar surface | Descartes Highlands | RTG | SNAP-27 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 70.9 We | [1] | |
| TRAID-01-1X | 1972 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | SNAP-19 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 35.6 We | [1] | ||
| Apollo 17 ALSEP | 1972 | Intact | Lunar surface | Taurus–Littrow | RTG | SNAP-27 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 75.4 We | [1] | |
| Pioneer 11 | 1973 | Intact | Solar escape trajectory | RTG | RTG SNAP-19 (4) + RHU (12) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 159.6 We + 12 Wt | [1] | ||
| Viking 1 | 1976 | Intact | Mars surface | Chryse Planitia | RTG | lander modified SNAP-19 (2) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 84.6 We | [1] | |
| Viking 2 | 1976 | Intact | Mars surface | Utopia Planitia | RTG | lander modified SNAP-19 (2) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 86.2 We | [1] | |
| LES-8 | 1976 | Intact | Earth orbit | Near geostationary orbit | RTG | MHW-RTG (2) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 307.4 We | [1] | |
| LES-9 | 1976 | Intact | Earth orbit | Near geostationary orbit | RTG | MHW-RTG (2) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 308.4 We | [1] | |
| Voyager 1 | 1977 | In use | Solar escape trajectory | RTG | MHW-RTG (3) + RHU(9) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 477.6 We + 9 Wt | [1] | ||
| Voyager 2 | 1977 | In use | Solar escape trajectory | RTG | MHW-RTG (3) + RHU(9) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 470.1 We + 9 Wt | [1] | ||
| Mars 2020/Perseverance | 2020 | In use | Mars surface | RTG | MMRTG | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 110 We | [5] | ||
| Galileo | 1989 | Destroyed | - | Jupiter atmospheric entry | RTG | GPHS-RTG (2) | 576.8 We | [1] | ||
| Ulysses | 1990 | Intact | Heliocentric orbit | RTG | GPHS-RTG | 283 We | [1] | |||
| Cassini | 1997 | Destroyed | - | Burned-up in Saturn's atmosphere | RTG | GPHS-RTG (3) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 887 We | ||
| New Horizons | 2006 | In use | Solar escape trajectory | RTG | GPHS-RTG (1) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 249.6 We | |||
| MSL/Curiosity rover | 2011 | In use | Mars surface | RTG | MMRTG | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | 113 We | |||
| Kosmos 84 | 1965 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | Orion-1 RTG | The element Chemistry:Polonium does not exist. | [3][6] | |||
| Kosmos 90 | 1965 | Intact | Earth orbit | RTG | Orion-1 RTG | The element Chemistry:Polonium does not exist. | [3][6] | |||
| Kosmos 198 (RORSAT) | 1967-12-27 | Intact | Earth orbit | Fission reactor | BES-5 ?? | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | [3][7] | |||
| Kosmos 209 (RORSAT) | 1968-03-22 | Intact | Earth orbit | Fission reactor | BES-5 ?? | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | [3][7] | |||
| Kosmos 300 (Moon) | 1969-09-23 | Destroyed | - | Failed to achieve escape trajectory, burned up 4 days after launch | RTG | The element Chemistry:Polonium does not exist. | [8] | |||
| Kosmos 305 (Moon) | 1969-10-22 | Destroyed | - | Failed to achieve escape trajectory, burned up 2 days after launch | RTG | The element Chemistry:Polonium does not exist. | [3][9][10][11][8] | |||
| Kosmos 367 (RORSAT) | 1970-10-03 | Intact | Earth orbit, 579 mile altitude | Fission reactor | BES-5 ?? | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [3][7][12] | ||
| Kosmos 402 (RORSAT) | 1971 | Intact | Earth orbit | Fission reactor | BES-5 ?? | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [3][7] | ||
| Kosmos 469 (RORSAT) | 1971 | Intact | High orbit | Fission reactor | BES-5 (officially confirmed) | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||
| Kosmos 516 | 1972 | Intact | High orbited 1972 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||
| RORSAT | 1973 | Destroyed | - | Launch failure over Pacific Ocean, near Japan | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 626 | 1973 | Intact | Earth orbit | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||
| Kosmos 651 | 1974 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 654 | 1974 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 723 | 1975 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 724 | 1975 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 785 | 1975 | Destroyed | - | Failed after reaching orbit | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 860 | 1976 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 861 | 1976 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 952 | 1977 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 954 | 1977 | Destroyed | - | Exploded on re-entry 1978 (over Canada) | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1176 | 1980 | Intact | Earth orbit | 11788/11971 Earth orbit 870–970 km | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1249 | 1981 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1266 | 1981 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1299 | 1981 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1402 | 1982 | Destroyed | - | Earth re-entry 1983 (South Atlantic) | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1372 | 1982 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1365 | 1982 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1412 | 1982 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1461 | 1983 | Destroyed | - | Earth orbit, exploded | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [3] | |
| Kosmos 1597 | 1984 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1607 | 1984 | Intact | Earth orbit | High orbited 1985 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1670 | 1985 | Intact | Earth orbit | High orbited 1985 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1677 | 1985 | Intact | Earth orbit | High orbited 1985 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1736 | 1986 | Intact | Earth orbit | High orbited 1986 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1771 | 1986 | Intact | Earth orbit | High orbited 1986 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1900 | 1987 | Intact | Earth orbit | Earth orbit, 454 mile altitude | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13][12] | |
| Kosmos 1860 | 1987 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | ||||
| Kosmos 1932 | 1988 | Intact | Earth orbit | 800–900 km | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1682 | 1985 | Intact | Earth orbit | High orbited 1986 | Fission reactor | BES-5 | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 2 kWe | [13] | |
| Kosmos 1818 (RORSAT) | 1987 | Destroyed | - | Destroyed in high Earth orbit | Fission reactor | Topaz-I | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 5 kWe | [14] | |
| Kosmos 1867 (RORSAT) | 1987 | Intact | Earth | Parked in high Earth orbit | Fission reactor | Topaz-I | The element Chemistry:uranium does not exist. | 5 kWe | [15] | |
| Lunokhod 201 | 1969-02-19 | Destroyed | - | Rocket exploded at launch, radioactive material from RHU spread over Russia | RHU | The element Chemistry:polonium does not exist. | [16] | |||
| Lunokhod 1 | 1970 | Intact | Lunar surface | RHU | The element Chemistry:polonium does not exist. | [16] | ||||
| Lunokhod 2 | 1973 | Intact | Lunar surface | RHU | The element Chemistry:polonium does not exist. | [16] | ||||
| Mars 96 | 1996 | Destroyed | - | Launch failure, entered Pacific Ocean | RHU | RHU (4) | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | [16] | ||
| Chang'e 3 lander | 2013 | In use | Lunar surface | RHU | In combination with solar panels allows continued use of the Lunar-based ultraviolet telescope | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | [17] | |||
| Yutu rover | 2013 | Intact | Lunar surface | RHU | Communication lost in 2015 | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | ||||
| Chang'e 4 lander | 2019 | In use | Lunar surface | RHU | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | [19] | ||||
| Yutu-2 rover | 2019 | In use | Lunar surface | RHU | The element Chemistry:plutonium does not exist. | [19] | ||||
| Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module | 2023 | In use | Earth orbit | RHU | BARC RHU, transferred back from lunar orbit after lander mission completion | 241Am | 2 Wt | [20] |
See also
- Outer Space Treaty
- List of high-altitude nuclear explosions
- Nuclear power in space
- List of artificial radiation belts
- Category:Nuclear-powered robots
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 "Atomic Power in Space II: A History 2015". Idaho National Laboratory. September 2015. https://www.inl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AtomicPowerInSpaceII-AHistory_2015_Appendices-References1.pdf. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ↑ "Transit". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130124081854/http://www.astronautix.com/project/transit.htm. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 Hagen, Regina (November 8, 1998). "Nuclear Powered Space Missions - Past and Future". http://www.space4peace.org/ianus/npsm3.htm. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ↑ David M. Harland (2011). Apollo 12 - On the Ocean of Storms. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 269. ISBN 978-1-4419-7607-9. https://books.google.com/books?id=vgrGPWSy4PgC&pg=PA269.
- ↑ mars.nasa.gov. "Electrical Power" (in en). https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/electrical-power/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bennett, Gary L. (August 6, 1989). "A LOOK AT THE SOVIET SPACE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAM". International Forum on Energy Engineering (NASA Propulsion, Power and Energy Division) IECEC-89. https://fas.org/nuke/space/sovspace.pdf. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Sven Grahn. "The US-A program (Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellites)". http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/trackind/RORSAT/RORSAT.html. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The 2014 NASA Nuclear Power Assessment Study (NPAS): Safety, Environmental Impact, and Launch Approval Considerations and Findings". https://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/power_technology/NPAS_SafetyPresentation.pdf.
- ↑ Encyclopedia Astronautica article on the US-A RORSAT programme.
- ↑ "USSR - Luna Programme". http://www.zarya.info/Diaries/Luna/Luna.php.
- ↑ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1969-092A.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Top 10 Space Age Radiation Incidents". 20 January 2012. https://listverse.com/2012/01/20/top-10-space-age-radiation-incidents/amp/.
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 13.21 13.22 13.23 13.24 13.25 13.26 13.27 13.28 13.29 13.30 "US-A". Mark Wade. 14 September 2007. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/usa.htm. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
- ↑ "Old Russian Nuclear Satellite Returns". http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Old_Russian_Nuclear_Satellite_Returns_999.html. Retrieved 2016-02-23.
- ↑ Lardier, Christian; Barensky, Stefan (March 27, 2018). The Proton Launcher: History and Developments. Wiley-ISTE. ISBN 978-1786301765.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Karacalıoğlu, Göktuğ (January 6, 2014). "Energy Resources for Space Missions". Space Safety Magazine. http://www.spacesafetymagazine.com/2014/01/16/energy-resources-space-missions/. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ↑ SUN, ZeZhou; JIA, Yang; ZHANG, He (November 2013). "Technological advancements and promotion roles of Chang'e-3 lunar probe mission" (PDF). Science China 56 (11): 2702–2708. doi:10.1007/s11431-013-5377-0. Bibcode: 2013ScChE..56.2702S. Archived from the original on 29 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140329104235/http://tech.scichina.com:8082/sciEe/EN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=512308. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
- ↑ "Chang'e-3 - Satellite Missions". ESA. https://earth.esa.int/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/c-missions/chang-e-3. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 China Shoots for the Moon's Far Side . (PDF) IEEE.org. 2018.
- ↑ "Nuclear energy keeps Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module going". The Times of India. 2023-10-31. ISSN 0971-8257. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/nuclear-energy-keeps-chandrayaan-3-propulsion-module-going/articleshow/104834737.cms?from=mdr.
