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Rockets lifting off from Earth will depend on chemical fuels for the foreseeable future. Webinar participants heard about systems that can use both fission and fusion for spacecraft propulsion, extra-terrestrial surface power and power for onboard spaceship systems.
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Nuclear fission derives energy from splitting atomic nuclei, while nuclear fusion does so by joining them, releasing energy in the process. Our pathway to the stars runs through the atom.” “But future missions could rely on nuclear powered systems for a much broader spectrum of applications. “Nuclear technology has long played a vital role in prominent space missions,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. These were the conclusions of a panel of international experts from the public and private sectors at this week’s IAEA webinar, “Atoms for Space: Nuclear Systems for Space Exploration”.Īdvances in both nuclear fission and fusion will be indispensable for deep-space travel, they agreed, also highlighting that nuclear energy could supply electricity for onboard systems and instrumentation, and power a sustained human presence on celestial bodies in the solar system. Humanity is poised to embark on a new age of space travel to Mars, our solar system and beyond as nuclear power and related technologies promise to make interplanetary missions faster, more efficient and economical.