Canada launches centre to build a space-isotope supply chain by 2030
Canada’s Nuclear Innovation Institute has launched the Canadian Centre for Space Isotopes in Toronto to study how the country could supply radioactive isotopes for deep-space missions. SpaceQ reports the centre will conduct research and industry work through 2030, with its first report due in early 2027; the stakes are a potential new role for Canada in a field where future supply is described as critically low.
Bottom line — The centre’s 2027 report will test whether Canada’s isotope expertise can support spacecraft power systems.
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Interesting Engineering explains that radioisotope systems turn heat from radioactive decay into electricity, providing power where solar panels become less effective.
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The Nuclear Innovation Institute says plutonium-238 has powered more than 25 NASA missions since 1961 and is the only radioisotope it identifies as consistently meeting basic space-mission criteria.
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SpaceQ reports that the centre’s work includes policy research, partnerships and industry meetings, with Jessica Linthorne and James Scongack co-chairing its steering committee.
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According to SpaceQ, Ontario’s plan to double isotope production by 2030 applies to medical isotopes; the centre’s launch release describes broader ambitions for Canadian isotope production.
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SpaceQ notes Canada already has separate space-power efforts underway, including a programme to develop tritium-fuelled heaters for lunar and deep-space missions.