INL seeks partners in lunar power system development

Battelle Energy Alliance, the managing and operating contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, is seeking information from leaders in the nuclear and space industries to develop innovative technologies for a fission surface power system that can be operated on the moon.

The request for information can be viewed here. Responses are sought by Sept. 8. After receiving responses, INL will issue a request for proposal.

Sponsored by NASA in collaboration with DOE and INL, the request for information seeks partnership on technologies and approaches to test and validate an FSP design that can be built and deployed on the moon, and used for subsequent missions, such as to Mars.

“Idaho National Laboratory has a central role in emphasizing the United States’ global leadership in nuclear innovation, with the anticipated demonstration of advanced reactors on the INL Site,” said Dr. John Wagner, associate laboratory director of INL’s Nuclear Science & Technology Directorate.

“The prospect of deploying an advanced reactor to the lunar surface is as exciting as it is challenging, and partnering with the most forward-thinking companies in the private sector and national laboratory system will help us get there.”

For more information on the RFI, interested parties may contact Aaron Weston at aaron.weston@inl.gov.