X-Energy - Factories in Space

X-Energy

We’re building the next generation nuclear reactor that will meet our future energy needs on—and off—Planet Earth.

Created: 2021-07-28

Updated: 2023-01-27

Company - X-Energy

Founded
Country: 2010; USA

Funding: Yes, ?

Website: https://x-energy.com/

Social

X-Energy

Product/Service - Xe-100 Reactor

Classification: Space Utilities

Category: Resources - Energy
Nuclear Fission Power

Fields: Nuclear Power
Nuclear Fission Power
Moon

Status: Development

First launch: Not announced

Partners: Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines

Reactor: Xe-100

We’re focused on Gen-IV High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors (HTGR) as the technology of choice, with advantages in sustainability, economics, reliability and safety.

Lunar Surface Power

X-energy’s innovative design leverages experience with our flagship Xe-100 small modular reactor as well as our terrestrial micro-reactor solutions, but with many advancements and a much smaller size. It’s ideal for lunar surface operations because of its small form factor, scalability to meet evolving needs, advanced technology readiness, and the improved safety from using our meltdown-proof TRISO-X fuel with proliferation resistant high-assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) nuclear fuel.

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion

Human travel to Mars requires significantly faster transportation. Nuclear Thermal Propulsion enables space craft to travel faster, reducing the amount of time humans are exposed to radiation.

In a conventional liquid fueled rocket engine, an oxidizer and a fuel are mixed in a combustion chamber and ignited. This causes the gases to rapidly expand, which dramatically increases the pressure in the combustion chamber and forces the exhaust through the rocket engine’s nozzle at high speeds.

Nuclear thermal propulsion also works by propelling hot gasses from its engine at high pressure. The key difference is how those gases are brought up to temperature. Instead of combustion, a NTP Reactor System pumps a liquid propellant—typically hydrogen—through the core of a high-temperature nuclear reactor. As the gas flows through the reactor’s core, it is brought to blistering high temperatures (>2,500C), which causes it to rapidly expand through a nozzle and produce thrust.

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