NASA’s Planetary Science Division has been investing in Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) technology with the intent to fabricate flight units for deep space missions. However, NASA has since halted this research which has serious implications for the future of deep space missions.
At the heart of every space mission, be it a planetary rover or a deep space probe to the outer reaches of the Solar System, is a power source. In the last few years, NASA’s Planetary Science Division has been working on a new power unit for far flung mission, one that will make good use of plutonium. But last week the agency announced it is halting this work, and this has some serious implications for the future of deep space missions.