SpaceX has launched into orbit the first commercial satellite built to test a nuclear power source in space. Is called BOHRacronym for Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability, and was launched this July 7 aboard a Falcon 9 in the shared mission Transporter-17from the Vandenberg Space Force Basein California.
The rocket carried 81 payloads and began deploying them into its various orbits about 50 minutes after takeoff. Among them was BOHR, a small cubesat from City Labsa Florida-based company. A cubesat is a miniaturized satellite built from standardized modules, widely used for technology demonstrations because it allows testing systems in orbit with less cost and complexity than a conventional satellite.
With BOHR, City Labs wants test its NanoTritium betavoltaic microenergy source in space for the first timebased on tritium. The technology takes advantage of the beta particles emitted during the radioactive decay of this isotope and converts them directly into electricity using a semiconductor.
The inevitable comparison is with the probes Voyager from NASA, which have been operating for almost half a century thanks to radioisotope thermoelectric generators. In your case, the electricity comes from the heat emitted by the plutonium. BOHR uses another principle and another material to be able obtain energy for years in places where depending on the Sun is difficult or directly impossible.
‘This is a historic step for commercial nuclear power in space,’ says Peter CabauyCEO of City Labs, in a statement.
The tritium nucleus It is not the main power source of the satellitesince BOHR still depends on solar panels for its operations. Its role is to test in real conditions whether City Labs technology can work in orbit and open the door to systems capable of providing continuous power to future spacecraft.
That point is important for missions in extreme environments. The permanently shadowed regions of the lunar poles, for example, do not receive direct sunlight and are one of the places where a compact nuclear power source could be especially useful. The south pole of the Moon is also one of the areas of greatest interest for NASA’s Artemis program. due to the possible presence of water ice, a key resource to sustain a long-term human presence.
‘BOHR, from City Labs, comes as the first commercial response to that challenge’notes the company. The cubesat’s NanoTritium source doesn’t produce nearly the energy needed to power a lunar base, but City Labs maintains that the technology could scale over time to more ambitious applications.
One of the advantages of tritium over other radioactive materials is its low level of radiation. According to the company, ‘City Labs tritium-based power systems are designed to safe handling, transportation and integration within standard commercial release environments’.
The development of BOHR has been funded through a contract from the United States Department of Defense. City Labs hopes the mission will serve as a precedent for new satellites and space vehicles with compact nuclear sources, both in defense applications and in private missions. ‘BOHR demonstrates that safe, compact and regulatory-approved nuclear power systems are ready for routine commercial deployment,’ says Cabauy.