quote: Originally posted by: shoobie "hi, as part of my project i just wanted to ask how much a typical 30Kw nuclear reactor would cost for a space exploration mission in 2022? i dont even have a ballpark figure and would welcome any suggestions! thanks"
Dear shoobie,
I'm afraid that you need to consider more factors than just (30kW) power.
Would that 30kW be supplied continuously to a propulsion system, or just upon arrival at destination, to power on-board instruments & equipment ? ....that makes a huge difference, because in the former case, your reactor must perform reliably for years (potentially), while in the latter it might only be required to only function for months. Design robustness and testing requirements will be different in each case.
Also important is the application environment -- is it only running in the vacuum of space, or in a planetary atmosphere (surface ?). ....that makes a huge difference, because the heat rejection effectiveness is very different in the two cases (as it is at different distances from the Sun -- is it going near or far ?).
Perhaps most important of all is whether your 30kW reactor is to be of a fairly convetional, solid fuel design, or some sort of hi-tech, ultra-high temperature gaseous fuel type (and every other possibility in-between....). The power level doesn't say anything about operating temperature -- you can generate the same amount of heat or electricity with a relatively low-temperature reactor that is very large, heavy and inefficient, or you can generate it using a very light, compact and efficient high-temperature one.
Anyway, even assuming some relatively "ordinary" design, you're looking at tens of millions of dollars, at the very least.
Of course if you're just asking about the cost of enriched uranium fuel for your reactor, its likely to be well under a million.
