At Zeno, we are developing a next-generation radioisotope power system that converts the heat from recycled nuclear waste into electricity.
Created: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2024-01-14
Company - Zeno Power Systems
Product/Service
- Classification
- Space Utilities
- Category
- Resources - Energy
Nuclear Radioisotope Power
- Fields
- Nuclear Fission Power
Nuclear Power
- Status
- Development
- First launch
- 2025
- Zeno Power Systems of Washington, D.C., $15 million.
- The company will develop a Stirling engine-enabled radioisotope power system that utilizes a long-lived, thermally constant heat source – Americium 241. This technology could be used for space and surface power systems, offering an alternative to plutonium-based power systems.
- The Harmonia project is led by the startup with a team that includes Blue Origin, lunar lander developer Intuitive Machines, and NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Marshall Space Flight Center, among others.
- Zeno Power Systems was awarded a $30 million contract to build a radioisotope-powered satellite for the U.S. Air Force by 2025.
- The four-year contract is a “strategic funding increase” agreement that provides $15 million in government funds, matched by $15 million from private investors, the company’s co-founder and chief executive Tyler Bernstein told SpaceNews.
- Zeno’s RPS is smaller and uses lower-materials. Bernstein expects the system to clear regulatory hurdles and be approved for launch in 2025.
- Zeno’s RPS uses strontium isotope with a novel design that results in a lighter weight heat source. Bernstein said the company is exploring the use of other isotopes in the future.
- Earlier this year, Zeno’s payload review application was accepted for review by the FAA, said Bernstein, and a launch approval could come as early as 2025.
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