Canada isn’t content just being an energy superpower on Earth. It wants to run the show in space, too.
Driving the news: The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has given $1 million to the Toronto-based Canadian Space Mining Corporation (CSMC) to build a nuclear reactor that could be used on the moon. The company already has an aluminum trash can-sized reactor, dubbed the SLOWPOKE, in development.
- The government investment is part of a global push to build the infrastructure needed for sustained human presence on the moon and, eventually, a launching pad for Mars.
Why it matters: Creating the first nuclear reactor on the moon would give the country a real seat at the table in the next space race, particularly when it comes to lunar mining.
- Ottawa is already funding two companies specifically researching space mining tech, and some believe that Canada could become a central player in the industry.
- These nuclear reactors can be pretty useful here on Earth, too. CSMC says they could be used in remote communities, including in the Arctic, where diesel is often the only power source.
Yes, but: Canada is still a relatively small player in space missions. In fact, no Canadian rocket has ever been launched into orbit from home soil (planned launches in Newfoundland were waved off several times last month). It will take a lot more than a $1 million grant to change that.
Zoom out: Countries like the U.S., China and Russia are all trying to build their own nuclear reactors, a race that some say is really about claiming a piece of lunar land. Legally, no one owns the moon, but in establishing a nuclear reactor, a country could declare “a keep-out zone” that could give them de facto control.—LA