Cumbria selected for new £19million space battery programme

The world's first americium fuel space battery will be produced in Cumbria following the announcement of a new £19million laboratory.

The UK Space Agency and the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) will collaborate to build the space battery, powered by Americium-241.

The new laboratory will deliver a supply of fuel for space batteries, enabling the UK to pursue new space science and exploration missions.

Atomic space batteries, also known as Radioisotope Power Systems (RPSs), release heat as the radioactivity within them decays.

The heat can be used directly to prevent spacecraft from freezing and it can be converted into electricity to power onboard systems.

The batteries go on working for decades, without need for maintenance over the many years in which a spacecraft could be travelling.

Science Minister George Freeman said: "Being able to offer a globally unique supply of Americium-241 will encourage investment and unlock growth opportunities for all sorts of UK industries looking to explore nuclear energy."

The support from the UK Space Agency follows the UK’s record investment to the European Space Agency for a range of new programmes, including £22 million for ENDURE (European Devices Using Radioisotope Energy).

What is Americium-241?

Americium (chemical symbol Am) is a man-made radioactive metal that is solid under normal conditions.

Americium is produced when plutonium absorbs neutrons in nuclear reactors or during nuclear weapons tests. Americium-241 is the most common form of Americium.

Some smoke detectors contain very small amounts of Am-241. There is no health risk from americium in smoke detectors as long as the detector is not tampered with and is used as directed.

It is a silver-white metal that is solid under normal conditions.

Am-241 is used in some medical diagnostic devices and in a variety of industrial and commercial devices that measure density and thickness.

Professor Tim Tinsley, account director for this work at the National Nuclear Laboratory said: "For the past 50 years, space missions have used Plutonium-238 to stop spacecrafts from freezing but it is in very limited supply.

"At NNL we have identified significant reserves of Americium-241, a radioisotope with similar properties to Plutonium-238 but game-changing potential for the UK’s space ambitions.

"This work, which is being made possible through the support of UK Space Agency, will see us applying decades of experience in separating and purifying used nuclear material in order to unlock great public benefits, and it goes to the heart of our purpose of nuclear science to benefit society."

Dr Paul Bate, CEO at the UK Space Agency said: "We are backing technology and capabilities to support ambitious space exploration missions and boost sector growth across the UK.

"This innovative method to create Americium to power space missions will allow us not only to sustain exploration of the Moon and Mars for longer periods of time, but to venture further into space than ever before.

"Supporting the National Nuclear Laboratory’s expansion will make the UK the only country in the world capable of producing this viable alternative to Plutonium, reducing the global space community’s reliance on limited supplies, which are increasingly difficult and costly to obtain."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...