Multiple uncrewed lunar landings are planned for the next twelve months. They are spurred by a renewed effort in the U.S. to return humans to the lunar surface later this decade. Both private space companies and national agencies are set to make the two hundred- and forty-thousand-mile voyage to our celestial neighbor. They will test landing capabilities, look for usable water ice, and more.
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has just launched their water-powered CubeSat spacecraft, EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U (EQUULEUS), to rendezvous with NASA’s Orion spacecraft. The Orion recently broke the record for the furthest distance traveled by a spacecraft that could carry a human crew. The EQUULEUS uses water as a propellant.
Former engineers from SpaceX are working on a portable microreactor that is lightweight and cost-effect. They call it the “world’s first portable, zero-emissions power source.”
Slovenské elektrárne, a.s. (SE) is an electric utility company based in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, and is the successor to the former state monopoly. It operates nuclear, hydroelectric and fossil fuel power plants in the Slovak Republic.
MoltexFLEX is a subsidiary of Moltex Energy Limited. It has just received a research grant to work with researchers at the University of Manchester to investigate how its FLEX reactor’s molten coolant salt interacts with graphite. The grant came from the Henry Royce institute of Advanced Materials.
Part 1 of 2 Parts
The United Nations’ (U.N.) top nuclear official is now warning that Iran has enough highly enriched uranium to build “several” nuclear warheads if it chooses. Unfortunately, diplomatic efforts once again restricting Iran’s nuclear program seem even less likely than before as Iran supplies drones to Russia in its war on Ukraine and riots shake the Islamic Republic.