The nuclear fission system was developed under NASA’s Kilopower project and aims to be a long-term, reliable way to power both missions to and on the surface of Mars, reports Reuters. The prototype system uses a uranium-235 reactor core roughly the size of your average paper towel roll. The ultimate goal is for the power system to be able to provide the 40 to 50 kilowatts of power that could keep habitats and life-support systems running on the surface of the red planet. A full power test of the system is scheduled to happen sometime in March.
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