Moscow. March 12th. INTERFAX - One of the sections of the recently published collection of the IMEMO named after E. M. Primakov and MGIMO "Strategic Review 2024" was devoted to the use of nuclear technologies in space.
Our political commentator Vyacheslav Terekhov talked with one of the authors of this section, Alexander Ermakov, about the problem of creating nuclear power plants and nuclear engines for spacecraft.
We'll reach Mars in two months instead of six months.
Reporter: As I understand it, these installations are supposed to replace solar panels and accumulators? Is their capacity insufficient? Will we bring the flight time to other planets closer? Will Mars be the first? How long will it take to reach it then?
Ermakov: There are so many questions at once! I will answer in order. First, about the time on the way to Mars. Even using a nuclear rocket engine, a flight to Mars can take up to two months, depending on the distance from Earth at that moment. But at the same time, I would like to note that for such flights it is necessary to solve many other problems unrelated to energy, and very large investments are required.
Currently, 99% of spacecraft operate using solar panels and batteries. But this method is not universal and depends on the illumination of the Sun, while the amount of energy received by the same batteries decreases with distance.
It is clear that the creators of spacecraft to solve the problem of colonization of the Moon and Mars eventually came to the need to switch to the use of nuclear energy.
Building a nuclear engine is a matter of the future, but what about now?
Reporter: Do nuclear-powered spacecraft already exist today?
Ermakov: Not with nuclear jet engines. They were tested only on ground stands in the USSR and the USA in the 60-70s. There was no special need for them, because the nuclear engine on rockets gives visible benefits only when flying long distances beyond Earth's orbit.
The Americans are working on developing a nuclear jet engine, and even want to launch a prototype in the coming years. It will be installed on a satellite that will fly for some time in low-Earth orbit. And then, based on it, they plan to create devices for flights between the Earth and the Moon.
Reporter: So, as I understand it, the creation of a nuclear engine may not be very far off, but it is in the future. But the problem with the nuclear power plant is a matter of today. So?
Ermakov: Yes, that's right. The distribution of relevant patent publications proves how popular this topic is now. Now she's interested in not only the US, Russia and China, but also Japan, Canada, Republic of Korea, several European countries, primarily Germany and France. In terms of the number of patent publications in the period from 1997 to 2022 on the topic "Nuclear power plants for space preparations", the United States ranks first with 94 publications. China and Russia have 49 and 48, respectively. The rest are significantly lagging behind, but they are still working on this topic, because for them the creation of such installations is also quite important.
You're giving me a nuclear power plant on the moon!
Reporter: And yet, let's return to nuclear reactors. Without them, it is impossible to explore not only Mars, but even the Moon, which is much closer to us.
Ermakov: Now, as for the nuclear reactor. Yes, on the Moon, as well as on Mars, it is practically an alternative source of energy. It must be borne in mind that the conditions on the Moon are specific – the night there is terribly cold and lasts for two weeks. How much energy will it take to live there and work on this satellite of the Earth?! Even automatic machines with a small computer have a hard time surviving a moonlit night. And if we are talking about a manned station in which people clearly have much greater needs for heat and energy than a small computer, then, of course, they will not understand how to survive at night. There is a need for a powerful energy source that does not depend on the Sun. And without the Sun, what do we have? In fact, only an atom!
Reporter: A nuclear power plant? Build a nuclear power plant on the moon?
Ermakov: Well, a nuclear power plant sounds very loud. When we talk about nuclear power plants, we imagine a giant building. No, of course, we are talking about compact, small devices that are even smaller than a cargo container. So they will provide the stations with energy. But their energy will only be enough for the first time, and then it is planned to build a complex of several such stations.
On Mars, solar panels are much less efficient than on Earth, primarily due to the greater distance of the Red Planet from the Sun. Even on Earth, as we can see, large areas of solar panels are required, and on Mars, taking into account its atmosphere, taking into account the fact that they will be covered with dirt and dust there, it will be necessary to build a real field of solar panels. And they will be much heavier in weight than a compact nuclear reactor.
Russia offers China participation in the exploration of the Moon
Reporter: Is anyone currently thinking about building a space reactor or a power plant on the moon?
Ermakov: They think, of course. We can say that this is the most important topic today. The Americans are testing a prototype space reactor on Earth. There are several other individual players trying to join the American program. For example, Rolls-Royce, which builds nuclear reactors in England, has been actively trying to offer its services to the United States in recent years.
We suggest that the Chinese build a reactor for their lunar program. They have a plan for a manned lunar program, which ultimately includes the construction of a lunar surface base, just like the Americans. All sides now have the task of organizing not just one-time missions, as was the case with the Apollons, but to build a base at the poles of the Moon.
Most likely, at the south pole of the Moon, gradually increasing the duration of the mission there, and someday make the objects there permanently operational. And the issue of energy supply is very acute for this base, and we have had good experience in creating space rectors since Soviet times. Only we had a large series of satellites with nuclear reactors. And that's what we want them to be interested in. So far, as far as I know, negotiations are underway.
We could have our own Russian Zeus, but...
Correspondent: In Russia, they are talking about a transport and energy module called "Zeus". What is it?
Ermakov: This question is, in a sense, even philosophical. What is it? Previously, it was a very promising, very complex and very hyped project of a device that would have a powerful nuclear reactor.
There is such a thing as an electric jet engine. It is powered by electricity: a gas accelerates in a magnetic field. He doesn't really care where the electricity comes from. It is currently powered by solar panels. But since a nuclear reactor can provide much more energy, its use as a power source will allow the installation of very powerful electric propulsion systems. And based on them, it was planned to create a large module that would be provided with a lot of energy. It could be used as a tugboat for a heavy payload or as a platform for building a heavy interplanetary station. With its help, for example, it would be possible to fly to Jupiter in a short time. In addition, it could carry a powerful payload, and even maneuver with it. But, I repeat, it was our idea.
Reporter: You keep saying "could have, could have", but what happened to him?
Ermakov: The idea is in such a frozen state. In its current form, this device is suitable as a platform for placing a very energy-intensive load, for example, in high Earth orbit, in which it could actively maneuver. But as a platform for towing cargo in the Earth-Moon system, it is no longer suitable, because due to its constant simplification, its energy capabilities have been falling, and now it is not very rational to use it for this purpose. Flights to the Moon and back will be too long for such a tug to "pay off" from a weight (not to mention financial) point of view.
Of course, it can also be used as a platform for interplanetary stations. But in Russia, simpler automatic scientific stations are rarely launched, and here we are talking about the construction of the largest in history. That's why I said that this project is now frozen, and more attention is being paid to the reactor for the lunar surface.
Reporter: So the module has been at least partially created?
Ermakov: If you mean whether individual elements have been created, then yes, individual elements have been created and even tested. For example, reactor elements, cooling system. But it did not come to the launch.
The American "Artemis"
Reporter: You said that the Chinese have plans like the Americans. And how are the Americans doing?
Ermakov: The Americans also plan to gradually switch from one-time to long-term flights in the future as part of their Artemis lunar program. They will probably only make a short landing this decade, but then we will talk about working on the surface for weeks and months. As part of this, a modular base like a polar camp has been deployed. Accordingly, it will need energy supply. They have their own national program on this issue, and plus, as I have already said, a number of other Western countries are also trying to participate and sell them their best practices.
There are no commercial benefits from the development of lunar soils yet!
Reporter: Is their goal to develop the resources of the Moon or to create a base for further interplanetary flights?
Ermakov: The goal is, one might say, the beginning of expansion into the Solar System. The moon is closest and, accordingly, it is logical to start with it. They want to gain experience that will be useful in the future, and prestige. This is because manned space exploration as a whole does not provide some kind of insane income, but it solves complex engineering problems, the national economy is developing, and scientific and technological progress is underway.
Regarding resource extraction, there is a lot of talk about lunar resources, such as helium-3, and a number of minerals, but these are all tasks for the distant future, and you should not hope for income in the coming decades.
