China is building a 20-story nuclear space engine for the mission to Mars
CHINA has built a twenty-story-tall nuclear space engine to power a mission to Mars.
Boffins have reportedly been tasked with “innovating” the project “or dying” as the country paves the way for a new era in the global space race.
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After a collaboration of more than ten research institutes and universities, China believes it has made tremendous progress in interplanetary travel.
According to a report from the South China Morning MailThe research team has confirmed that the prototype lithium-cooled nuclear reactor system has passed initial ground tests.
The 1.5-megawatt-class fission reactor, which is seven times more powerful than a competing system being built by NASA, has shrunk to an unprecedented size.
An article published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ peer-reviewed journal Scientia Sinica Technologica explains how the lithium-cooled system is also designed to dramatically expand in space.
By using liquid lithium, they can also make the reactor smaller, thanks to the element’s high thermal conductivity and low weight.
Starting as a container-sized volume, once fully deployed the structure can grow to the size of a 20-story building, including the 1.5-megawatt reactor’s heat sink.
But on the ground it folds neatly into a container-sized volume that weighs less than eight tons, the paper said.
Additionally, the design will allow the reactor system to be “easily loaded and launched by rocket,” while also being able to maintain stable operations for extended periods in the harsh conditions of space.
The article adds that the Chinese reactor will generate up to 1,276 degrees Celsius from the fission of uranium fuel, which is much higher than the operating temperature of most commercial nuclear power plants.
The intense heat then expands liquid forms of the inert elements helium and xenon into gases, driving a generator.
The paper adds that high-mass return transport will be possible for both crewed and cargo spaceflights.
As a result, the powerful energy source will pave the way for China’s large-scale exploration of the moon and Mars.
China’s determination to lead the race for nuclear-powered spaceflight is further implemented with a slogan hanging above the reactor prototype that reads: “Innovate or perish. No excuses.”
While spacecraft like the Starship, which is being developed by US company SpaceX, could take at least seven months to reach Mars, China’s nuclear-powered spacecraft could complete a round trip in just three months.
The Starship rocket is central to NASA’s plans to land astronauts on the moon later this decade, as well as SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s hopes to colonize Mars.
But even a single trip to the red planet requires a massive life support system.
NASA confirmed that the first Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will send two scientific spacecraft to Mars in late 2024, while Musk sees 2026 as the earliest year SpaceX will launch its own unmanned mission.
The new timeline comes after Musk’s Starship mega-rocket – the spacecraft he hopes will land on the moon and eventually Mars – exploded during a second launch attempt.
NASA has also called for volunteers to live in a simulated Mars colony for an entire year to boost preparations for future life on the red planet.
The Earth mission will launch in early 2025 and will see a crew of four living in a 1,700-square-foot facility – just like one would be built on Mars.
NASA says it “simulates a realistic Martian habitat” with the aim of supporting long-duration space exploration missions.
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