Space Power Systems

L3Harris supplied the power sources for NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover and Mars Perseverance Rover, enabling them to move around and conduct experiments on the red planet.

The MMRTG is the latest in a long line of RTGs that have powered deep space probes since the 1960s. RTGs use heat from the radioactive decay of plutonium-238 to generate electrical power and to provide thermal stability for spacecraft instruments and mechanical systems. Intended to operate in a range of harsh environments, from the vacuum of deep space to extreme planetary atmospheres, the MMRTG was designed and developed by L3Harris with Teledyne Energy Systems under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Powering Future Deep Space Missions

L3Harris is currently building an RTG that will be launched in 2027 for use on NASA’s Dragonfly mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.

The company is also under contract to design, build and demonstrate key components for a Next Generation RTG to power future deep space missions, possibly including a proposed probe to the ice giant Uranus.

Designed to operate in a vacuum, the Next Generation RTG is similar to the legacy RTGs that powered relatively recent robotic NASA missions to Saturn and Pluto, but with enhanced safety features and other updates to address obsolescence issues.

L3Harris has teamed with Westinghouse Government Services to design a lightweight Fission Surface Power system that could be demonstrated on the surface of the Moon before the end of the decade.

The 40 Kilowatt system is intended to provide power equivalent to what would run 10 households continuously for 10 years. A future demonstration will pave the way for sustainable operations on the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program. Nuclear power can provide steady, reliable power for lunar and Mars surface operations regardless of environmental conditions.

The Fission Surface Power project is sponsored by NASA in collaboration with the Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratory.

L3Harris was awarded a contract from Sierra Nevada Corporation to supply the electric power system for the Dream Chaser, a reusable commercial spacecraft that will carry cargo to and from the International Space Station. We will design, develop, fabricate, test and integrate Dream Chaser’s electric power system, including power conversion, distribution units and rechargeable batteries.

The power system will regulate power generated from Dream Chaser’s solar arrays and distribute it to the avionics, thermal and propulsion systems, as well as payloads that require electric power. The capacity of the rechargeable batteries will allow Dream Chaser to increase its free-flight time in space, as well as support the spacecraft's cargo delivery and return journey back to Earth.