On Thursday, Russia announced that a military satellite had been launched into orbit from the Plesetsk cosmodrome.
“Combat crews of the Space Forces launched a medium-class Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle from the Plesetsk launch pad in Arkhangelsk Region on Thursday, March 23, at 09:40 a.m.,” the Russian military ministry reported.
The UK Space Agency has given Rolls-Royce £2.9 million ($3.5 million) to boost the development of nuclear power technologies for a future astronaut base on the Moon.
According to a statement released by the space agency on Monday, the funds would be used to develop a UK lunar modular nuclear reactor, with the goal of having it ready for launch to the Moon by 2029. The money given to Rolls-Royce will be used for the Micro-Reactor initiative, which aims to develop a nuclear modular reactor that can supply enough energy for people to live and work on the moon and power systems for communication, life support, and scientific studies.
According to Rolls-Royce, a nuclear micro-reactor can provide continuous electricity independent of location, the amount of sunshine available, and other environmental factors because it is relatively compact and light weight in comparison to conventional power sources.
The fuel utilized to generate heat, the mechanism of heat transfer, and the technology to convert that heat into electricity will be the main topics of the Micro-Reactor program.
According to Minister of State at the Department of State, “Space exploration is the ultimate laboratory for so many of the transformational technologies we need on Earth: from materials to robotics, nutrition, cleantech, and much more.”
