Application Prospect of Fission-Powered Spacecraft in Solar System Exploration Missions

作     者：Y.Xia J.Li R.Zhai J.Wang B.Lin Q.Zhou 

作者机构：Beijing Institute of Spacecraft Environment EngineeringBeijingChina Science and Technology on Reliability and Environmental Engineering LaboratoryBeijingChina Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology of Tsinghua UniversityThe Key Laboratory of Advanced Reactor Engineering and SafetyMinistry of EducationBeijingChina 

出 版 物：《Space(Science & Technology)》 (空间科学与技术（英文）)

年 卷 期：2021年第2021卷第1期

页      面：309-323页

核心收录：

学科分类：07[理学] 0825[工学-航空宇航科学与技术] 0704[理学-天文学] 070202[理学-粒子物理与原子核物理] 0702[理学-物理学] 

主　　题：satis Saturn isotope 

摘      要：Fission power is a promising technology,and it has been proposed for several future space *** is being considered for highpower missions whose goal is to explore the solar system and even *** fission power has made great progress when NASA’s 1 kWe Kilowatt Reactor Using Stirling TechnologY(KRUSTY)prototype completed a full power scale nuclear test in *** success stimulated a new round of research competition among the major space *** article reviews the development of the Kilopower reactor and the KRUSTY system *** summarizes the current missions that fission reactors are being considered as a power and/or propulsion *** projects include visiting Jupiter and Saturn systems,Chiron,and Kuiper belt object;Neptune exploration missions;and lunar and Mars surface base *** studies suggest that the Fission Electric Propulsion(FEP)/Fission Power System(FPS)is better than the Radioisotope Electric Propulsion(REP)/Radioisotope Power System(RPS)in the aspect of cost for missions with a power level that reaches~1 kWe,and when the power levels reaches~8 kWe,it has the advantage of lower *** a mission that travels further than~Saturn,REP with plutonium may not be cost acceptable,leaving FEP the only *** missions prefer the use of FPS because it satisfies the power level of 10’s kWe,and FPS vastly widens the choice of possible landing *** to the current situation,we are expecting a flagship-level fission-powered space exploration mission in the next 1-2 decades.