ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

NASA can only make three more Plutonium batteries to power spacecraft in space

According to the Department of Energy, the plutonium-238 stockpile is enough to make only three more nuclear batteries. These are used to power long-term space missions, like Curiosity rover now studying Mars on site, the Voyager probes which were launched in the 1970s and are now almost out of the solar system or New Horizon which is close to making the first Pluto flyby in history. New Horizon is also the fastest spacecraft ever built, racing at one million miles per day. All these remarkable achievements were made possible thanks to plutonium-238 and the technology developed to harness its heat.

Tibi PuiubyTibi Puiu
April 18, 2015
in News, Space
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

On the eve of the shuttle’s “Final Countdown”
NASA cut short a “critical test” of its new rocket on Sunday
Catch the Geminid meteor shower at its peak TONIGHT!
NASA mission to the moon Europa gets the green light

According to the Department of Energy, the plutonium-238 stockpile is enough to make only three more nuclear batteries. These are used to power long-term space missions, like Curiosity rover now studying Mars on site, the Voyager probes which were launched in the 1970s and are now almost out of the solar system or New Horizon which is close to making the first Pluto flyby in history. New Horizon is also the fastest spacecraft ever built, racing at one million miles per day. All these remarkable achievements were made possible thanks to plutonium-238 and the technology developed to harness its heat.

Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). Image: NASA
Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG). Image: NASA

Plutonium-238 is typically made as a byproduct of nuclear weapons development, but ever since the Cold War ended and the nuclear non-proliferation act was instated the radioactive isotope has been in extremely short supply. NASA, for instance, has only 77 pounds (35 kilograms) of plutonium-238 left. To make things worse, only  37 pounds (17 kilograms) of that is actually good enough to use in nuclear batteries like the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators, or MMRTGs, which provide about 100 W of power.

The next battery will be fixed on the next spacecraft to visit Mars in 2020. That leaves another two MMRTGs worth of plutonium-238 for some other NASA mission, Alice Caponiti, DOE’s director of space and defense power systems, said in a Feb. 20 presentation to the NASA-chartered Outer Planets Assessment Group in Mountain View, California.

The only fix is to make more plutonium-238, of course, but this might take a while. The DoE is the only body capable of making the isotope, but its equipment is currently in repair. Once completed, the DoE labs will again resume irradiation of neptunium-237 targets that was suspended in the United States back in 1988. According to Caponiti, some 1.5 kilograms a year could be made once production is resumed. A single MMRTG requires about 4 kilograms of plutonium-238.

 

Tags: nasanuclear battery

Share1TweetShare
Tibi Puiu

Tibi Puiu

Tibi is a science journalist and co-founder of ZME Science. He writes mainly about emerging tech, physics, climate, and space. In his spare time, Tibi likes to make weird music on his computer and groom felines. He has a B.Sc in mechanical engineering and an M.Sc in renewable energy systems.

Related Posts

Future

NASA Captured a Supersonic Jet Breaking the Sound Barrier and the Image Is Unreal

byTibi Puiu
2 weeks ago
News

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Spotted Driving Across Mars From Space for the First Time

byTibi Puiu
2 weeks ago
Climate

Trump’s Budget Plan Is Eviscerating NASA and NOAA Science

byMihai Andrei
1 month ago
Future

This Tiny Nuclear Battery Could Last for Thousands of Years Without Charging

byTibi Puiu
2 months ago

Recent news

The Best Archaeopteryx Fossil Ever Found Just Showed It Could Fly

May 14, 2025

Earliest Reptile Footprints Found By Amateur Paleontologist in 355-Million-Year-Old Rock Push Back the Dawn of Land Animals

May 14, 2025

A Massive Brain Study Reveals the Hidden Work Your Mind Does While You Read

May 14, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.