Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
This is a show where we discuss the critical crossroads that
shape SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company and Neuralink.
I'm your host Will Walden. Europe's upcoming Mars mission
will feature a groundbreaking nuclear powered device utilizing
the radioactive decay of a Mercium the maintain the
operational temperatures now. The European Space Agency, the
ESA, announced these plans on May 16th in conjunction with
detailing an agreement with NASA, solidifying the US
agency's support for this mission.
The mission, aiming to deploy Europe's first Mars Rover,
Roseland Franklin, initially collaborated with Russia's Ross
Kosmos, but they separate ties in 2022 following Russia's
invasion of the Ukraine. Now radio isotope heater units
are RH US, which use the heat generated by radioactive decay
to warm spacecraft components, eliminate the need for solar
panel generated electricity for heating purposes.
Historically, ESA has relied on RH US using plutonium 238 from
US or Russian sources. Since 2009, ISA has ursued an
independent program to develop its own Rhus and radioisotope
batteries, fostering technological self-reliance.
Now, the European RH US will warm components of the mission's
landing platform, which will deploy to Rover onto Mars.
Now this platform willpower the Rover before it activates its
solar panels. Ensuring the Landers longevity
offers a safeguard against potential issues during the
Rover's deployment, according to Orson Sutherland, ESA's group
leader for Mars exploration at the European Space Research and
Technology Center, or the ESTEC, or the Aztec in the Netherlands.
How ESA's heater units will pioneer the use of Emir Serum
241, a byproduct of plutonium decay that provides less power
per gram but is more abundant and cost effective, Sutherland
remarked. Developing and launching a
European RHU will be a first for ESA.
In a major achievement. Now, the Roseland Franklin
Rover, designed to search for ancient life on Mars, features a
2m drill capable of reaching deep beneath the Martian
surface. Initially set for a launch in
2018, the mission faced delays due to technical issues and
COVID-19 before geopolitical tensions with Russia further
impacted the schedule. And with Russ Cosmos initially
responsible for the Landers construction, ISA had to
redesign the mission to proceed without Russia now.
This led to a new European design Lander and NASA's
involvement to bridge the remaining gaps in the mission.
Plan on new agreement, NASA will provide the launch capability
for XO Mars in 2028 and breaking engines for the Lander as well
as radioisotope heater units for the Rover and the development of
Ameri. CMRH use falls under the
European devices using Radioisotope Energy or the
ENDURE project. Now, given the radioactive
materials involved, these devices require thorough
certification before launch. By the late twenty 20s, the
ENDURE project aims to develop amyrosium batteries that can
generate electricity for spacecraft, not just heat.
These advancements are planned in time for a series of ESA Moon
missions in the early twenty 30s.
Unlike RH US, these nuclear batteries or radioisotope
thermoelectric generators convert radioactive to decay
heat into electrical power. The National Nuclear Laboratory
in Cella Field, UK, will produce the amyrosium pellets for these
heaters and batteries, utilizing spent nuclear fuel from UK civil
power plants. It's crucial for ensuring a
domestic supply of radioisotope materials for future space
missions. Now.
Sutherland noted that having its own RH US will enable ESA to
explore previously inaccessible areas of space and extend
mission durations. They said the ability to keep
flight systems warm in shaded areas, such as craters or during
the night will allow previously inaccessible areas to be
explored and extend mission lifetime.
The Exo Mars program, costing about $1.3 billion, aims to
launch the Roseland Franklin Rover in around 2028, buoying by
a $360 million investment from European countries.
This support was essential after ESA terminated its partnership
with Russia in 2022 after the Ukraine invasion.
Ros Cosmos, once a primary partner providing the Proton
launch vehicle in critical parts of the Rovers landing platform,
faced isolation due to international sanctions, and
NASA's involvement has been pivotal in securing an American
launch provider and necessary technology to facilitate the
Rovers landing on Mars. Now, NASA's Associate
Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate expressed
support for the collaboration, saying that NASA supports the
Rosalind Franklin mission to continue the strong partnership
between the US and Europe to explore the unknown in our solar
system and beyond. Originally slated for a 2022
launch, the missions delay was exacerbated by geopolitical
tensions. Launch windows to Mars are
critical, available only every 26 months when Mars and the
Earth aligned favorably for travel.
And the new 2028 launch date gives ESA the time needed to
develop the Rover and secure launch vehicle.
Now, this is another thing the orbiter, the Trace Gas Orbiter,
launched in 2016 as part of the EXO Mars mission's first phase,
and it's provided valuable data, including detailed measurements
of methane in the Martian atmosphere.
Now this data has been used to create high resolution maps of
Mars, identifying water race deposits and potential landing
sites for future missions. This new Rover, the Roseland
Franklin, stands out to its advanced scientific experiment
equipment, including its ability to drill 2 meters below the
Martian surface. This depth enables the Rover to
access ice samples shielded from surface radiation and extreme
temperatures, increasing the chances of finding well
preserved organic life giving molecules.
Now primary instrument on the Rover, the Mars Organic Molecule
Analyzer, will search for life's building blocks within these
deep samples. Rosalind Franklin's Rover's
unique drilling capabilities and onboard samples laboratory have
outstanding scientific value for humanity's search for evidence
of past life on Mars. Now, Russ Cosmos's isolation has
heightened due to the Ukrainian conflict and result in sanctions
altering the landscape of International Space
collaboration. The agency has been focused on
increasing its space militarization capabilities and
strengthening its partnership with China, who is also
expanding a space program. The new geopolitical landscaping
space is marked by intensified competition and collaboration
shifts, with both the US and China vying for international
partners. China's recent mission to the
moon, including payloads from Sweden, France, Italy and
Pakistan. It's a growing space race right
now, and the ESA's Mars mission is a significant step in space
exploration, advancements in nuclear power technology,
working with NASA. And as the agency looks ahead to
future missions, the developments and partnerships
established for the Roseland Franklin Rover will play a
critical role in expanding our understanding of Mars and
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