Moon: NASA wants to use Trisofuel, a microscopic nuclear fuel

SPACE Thanks to its small footprint and its energetic qualities, the substance could be used on the Moon, Earth and Mars

Trisofuel could ultimately be used on the Moon, on Mars, in spaceships, but also on Earth. illustration photo. — Jean-Marc David/SIPA

Energy contained in small quantities, usable far from Earth. Batteries nuclear fuel the size of a poppy seed have been released. developed by a team from the University of Bangor (United Kingdom). This fuel has been baptized Trisofuel and it could help power NASA's future Artemis lunar base, reports BBC. This Trisofuel fuel must be combined with à a nuclear microgenerator creates by Rolls-Royce.

Moon objective in 2023

It's a portable device about the size of a small car, or “something you could stick on a rocket,” he explained. Professor Simon Middleburgh from the University's Nuclear Futures Institute from Bangor. The device will be tested to find out if it can embark on a mission launched to establish a lunar base by 2030.

It is, among other things, likely to power the infrastructure that will be installed on our satellite. With its energy power reduced to its small footprint, the Trisofuel could also be upgraded to a larger size. contribution to Mars when it comes to installing human infrastructure there.

This technology could also be used on the blue planet , for example in disaster areas when the electricity network has been disrupted. cut or to propel rockets. Because “he is very powerful” and gives “a very high thrust”,” researcher Phylis Makurunje. Thanks to the new fuel, the time to reach Mars could thus be reduced by half; for ships equipped with tanks much less cumbersome.