Canadensys Aerospace and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) have launched a joint program to build nuclear heating units for missions to the Moon and deep space, tapping into Canada’s domestic supply of tritium.
Space is cold. The permanently shadowed craters of the Moon can drop to minus 248 C. Standard solar panels and chemical batteries freeze in these extreme conditions. To keep spacecraft avionics alive, engineers use small nuclear devices that generate continuous heat as their radioactive material naturally decays.
Canada is the top global producer of tritium, a hydrogen isotope created as a byproduct in CANDU nuclear reactors. Unlike the plutonium and americium used in space hardware, tritium emits weak radiation that cannot penetrate human skin. To understand how safe it is, think of glow-in-the-dark wristwatches, which use small amounts of sealed tritium to illuminate their dials safely. This lower radiation simplifies the process of integrating the heating units into commercial rockets.
The technology is already gaining traction for upcoming lunar exploration and commercial operations.
NASA has funded research into autonomous, tritium-powered sensors. These self-heating probes are designed to survive the deep freeze of the lunar south pole to map water ice in areas where solar panels are useless.
On July 7, a Florida company, City Labs launched a small satellite called BOHR into low-Earth orbit aboard the SpaceX Transporter-17 mission. The spacecraft carries a betavoltaic battery, to demonstrate that private companies can safely operate tritium hardware beyond Earth.
By combining the national supply of the isotope with the extensive nuclear storage experience of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the partnership aims to provide a reliable technology for future missions which would create a new exportable product for Canadensys.
“We are excited to leverage Canada’s experience and supply of tritium to bring to market a key enabling system for lunar and planetary missions, where keeping the central avionic elements warm is often a critical challenge,” said Christian Sallaberger, chief executive officer of Canadensys.