SpaceX launches first commercial satellite powered by 'nuclear battery'
SpaceX successfully launched what is described as the world's first commercially built satellite powered by a nuclear-based energy source. The satellite, named BOHR (Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability), was developed by Florida-based company City Labs and lifted off on Tuesday aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The mission, designated Transporter-17, was a rideshare flight carrying a total of 81 payloads. Satellite deployments began approximately 50 minutes after launch, the company confirmed.
BOHR is a demonstration mission intended to test City Labs' proprietary NanoTritium betavoltaic micropower source in space for the first time. Unlike conventional satellites that rely on solar panels, NanoTritium generates electricity by capturing beta particles released during the radioactive decay of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. These particles are then converted directly into electrical energy using a semiconductor device.
This technology is not a nuclear reactor but a small-scale power source often referred to as a 'nuclear battery.' It is designed to provide continuous, low-level power for decades, making it suitable for missions where solar power is impractical, such as deep space or shadowed environments.
The launch marks a milestone for commercial space-based nuclear technology, though experts note that betavoltaic devices have been used previously in pacemakers and other terrestrial applications.
