A battery that lasts over four centuries? The invention set to revolutionize space travel
Scientists and NASA are eyeing radioactive batteries that could keep spacecraft running far beyond current lifespans.
To all those who have ever scrambled to find a cell phone charger as the power symbol dropped into single digits – that’s most of us, right? – the idea of an everlasting battery is a dream. Well, the boffins at NASA and elsewhere may be on to something.
First up we have the scientists at the University of Bristol and the UK Atomic Energy Authority, who have built what they call a carbon-14 diamond battery. By embedding carbon-14, a radioactive isotope with a half-life of 5,700 years, into synthetic diamond, the team created a power cell that steadily converts radioactive decay into electricity. The output is tiny – microwatts at a time – but continuous for thousands of years.
It’s not a fluke. Tests show less than 5% degradation over 50 years, with the device still functioning at –100°C or +200°C. That makes it an attractive option for applications where replacing a battery is impossible – think satellites, medical implants, or deep-space probes.
How is NASA using radioisotope batteries?
The idea of nuclear batteries isn’t new. NASA has relied on radioisotope power systems (RPS) since the 1960s, using them to fuel Voyager 1 and 2, New Horizons, Curiosity, and Perseverance. These systems tap into the heat from radioactive decay to generate power, typically using plutonium-238, an isotope with a half-life of 88 years.
That’s clearly long enough for decades-long missions... but scientists want more. Enter americium-241, with a half-life of 433 years. In January, NASA’s Glenn Research Center partnered with the University of Leicester to test americium in a Stirling convertor, a free-piston engine designed for microgravity. A version of this system has already run 14 years without maintenance.
Meanwhile, commercial players are proving the concept at smaller scales. City Labs’ NanoTritium betavoltaic batteries already power microelectronics for 20 years or more
By combining the various approaches, we could be on the brink of a future where spacecraft keep flying, measuring, and transmitting centuries after launch. The Voyagers, still pushing past the edge of the solar system, might one day look like prototypes compared to what’s coming next. Buzz Lightyear may have had it right...
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