Rolls-Royce gets funding for moon base nuclear reactor
It is hoped that the eventual lunar base will prove a suitable home for astronauts, where they could work on science experiments. Rolls-Royce is aiming to have its nuclear reactor ready by 2029.
Rolls-Royce has received funding to build a nuclear reactor for a base on the moon.
It might sound like the setup of a James Bond film, but is in fact part of a very real-world project that aims to see humans living and working on the lunar surface.
The UK Space Agency has given Rolls-Royce a fresh £2.9m to construct the reactor, following a £249,000 study last year that it also funded.
Engineers and scientists at the British firm are working on the Micro-Reactor programme, which will look into how nuclear power could one day support a full-time moon base.
It's hoped that it would provide enough energy for communications, life-support, and experiments.
Rolls-Royce is aiming to have a reactor ready by 2029. It's collaborating with universities including Oxford, Bangor, Sheffield, and Brighton to hit the target.
Science minister George Freeman said: "Space exploration is the ultimate laboratory for so many of the transformational technologies we need on Earth: from materials to robotics, nutrition, cleantech and much more."
He said the project was another sign that the UK is a "major force in frontier science".
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