1. Richard Blott, Space Enterprise Partnerships Limited
EC-ESA Workshop on Exploration and Innovation Industrial Competitiveness and Technological Advance
Nuclear Electric Propulsion
Thursday 29th & Friday 30th April 2010
Richard Blott, Space Enterprise Partnerships Limited

2. BACKGROUND
FP7 Space Transportation High Power Electric Propulsion a Roadmap for the Future (HiPER) multi-national Project addresses:
Future mission requirements,
The next generation of high power electric propulsion (EP) systems,
The required sources of electrical power generation (solar and nuclear).
Nuclear power generation team comprises:
Space Enterprise Partnerships (coordination, requirements and architecture),
Rolls Royce plc (reactor and power conversion design),
Acta srl (Pisa) shielding design.
Objectives:
Review the current state of technological progress,
Identify development needed to meet requirements from mission analysis,
Assess feasibility and risk through modelling and simulation,
Develop a ‘concept design’ and the technical Roadmap to achieve it.
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3. OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Mission Examples:
Scientific missions to Jupiter’s moons and beyond (including sample return),
Re-usable in-space logistic ‘tugs’ operating from an EML1 ‘space harbour’,
Commercial operations such as NEO mining.
Propulsion Technology Opportunity:
High power EP requirements are similar for both solar and nuclear power,
Challenges:
Mission analysis requires 40% decrease in specific mass and 10X improvement in lifetime compared to achievements to date,
Launch constraints such as Ariane 5 lift and volume capacity.
Progress requires:
Moving to high temperature rotodymanic power conversion machinery (eg Brayton cycle turbo alternators),
Innovative shielding design in terms of both materials and shape,
Innovative approach to system architecture and trade-offs.
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4. TRANS-SECTORAL SYNERGIES
Rolls Royce plc is a good example of trans-sectoral synergies:
Business is essentially terrestrial; both civil and defence,
Makes both nuclear reactors and high temperature gas turbines,
Has some space experience from periodic studies.
Acta srl is an example of a small university (Pisa) spin-off company:
Has a background in terrestrial nuclear safety consultancy,
Liaises with the university (Pisa) on laboratories and test facilities.
Considerations (SEP personal view):
Rolls Royce experience and expertise critical to finding technical solutions needed,
Acta very cost effective in technical review
For Rolls Royce space projects are an opportunity to evaluate the scope for innovation and new markets and challenge research staff,
But the space market is small compared to manufacturing aircraft engines or developing a new generation of civil nuclear power plants,
Nuclear (fission) power generation for space is a long term, expensive development with no current government commitment to funding.
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5. POLICY CONCLUSIONS
HiPER indicates that a realistic strategy for the exploration of our outer solar system will require nuclear electric propulsion (NEP).
The resources required suggest joint European/US (or other) projects which in turn may lead to supply chain specialisation.
Once developed the (NEP) capability would be attractive for other applications such as re-usable ‘space tugs’ for cargo and mining.
Development of nuclear electric propulsion will require experience and expertise from outside the traditional space community.
We have no shortage of theoretical studies but progress requires R&D (particularly ‘D’) by industry with the right practical experience.
The technical advances envisaged require and would be expected to help maintain industrial competitiveness in theory.
In practice identifying a worthwhile market and the funding to develop the NEP capability is equally essential.
Potential spin-off to other applications needs further investigation.
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