Aerospace company SpaceX made history in the global space industry with the launch of the Transporter-17 mission on Monday (7/7) local time. Using a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, SpaceX successfully carried a satellite named BOHR into orbit as the first commercial device to test nuclear power technology in space.
The BOHR satellite was developed by Florida-based technology company City Labs. The device is specifically designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of NanoTritium betavoltaic micropower sources. Unlike conventional systems, this technology works by capturing beta particles from the radioactive decay of tritium, which are then directly converted into electrical energy through a semiconductor medium.
The primary advantage of this innovation lies in its ability to provide a stable and continuous power supply, even in extreme environments with minimal sunlight exposure, such as the south polar region of the Moon. Although BOHR currently still includes solar panels as a backup system, this mission serves as a crucial proof of concept to test safety standards and the feasibility of using nuclear power for commercial needs in space.
This ambitious project received direct funding support from the United States Department of Defense. The success of this mission also marks a new milestone as the first nuclear-powered spacecraft to receive operational greenlight in compliance with federal regulations, which is expected to pave the way for more efficient and autonomous space exploration in the future.
