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Mars rover mission will use pioneering nuclear power source
The radioactive unit will help to deliver Europe’s first Mars rover to the planet’s surface.
Devices that harness the heat produced by the decay of radioactive elements, known as radioisotope heater units (RHUs), allow spacecraft to operate without relying on electricity generated by solar panels to warm them. So extending the lander’s life provides back up in case there are issues in deploying the rover, says Orson Sutherland, ESA’s group leader for Mars Exploration, based at the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. The collaboration is working on fulfilling launch-safety requirements in time for 2028, says Richard Ambrosi, a physicist and specialist in space-power systems at the University of Leicester, part of the UK-based team leading development of the device.
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