Framatome Selected by ESA to Contribute to the ENDURE Programme
Framatome (ENS Corporate Member) has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide industrial production capability of Sealed Fuel Sources for Radioisotope Power Systems, supporting the ENDURE (European Devices Using Radioisotope Energy) programme.
One key feature of this programme is to provide Europe with a sovereign industrial production capability of radioisotope-based sealed fuel sources, to be used for radioisotope power systems (RPS).
RPS-based systems, a proven technology, provide continuous heating and power sources, withstanding the harshest environments within deep space and lunar surface operations
ENDURE aims to focus on independent capability in manufacturing and launching radioisotope power systems from Europe using Americium 241 as the fuel source. Americium 241, a decay product from the recycling of nuclear reactor fuels, has the additional benefit of enabling deeper space exploration due to having half-life of 432 years.
The announcement brings Framatome together with its key partners Perpetual Atomics, as the lead product designer, along with Amentum, with its global space expertise and UK regulatory and licensing expertise.
Read the full Framatome Press Release.
Grégoire Lambert, Vice President for Framatome Space, presented the company’s plan and space projects at the latest European Research Reactor Conference – RRFM 2025, in Aix-en-Provence.
During the session dedicated to synergies between SMR/AMR and the research reactors community, Framatome illustrated how R&D can benefit and address the space challenges.
In September 2022, the European Nuclear Society High Scientific Council launched its Position Paper “Nuclear Energy for Space Exploration“, which focuses on the crucial role of nuclear energy and nuclear solutions for deep space exploration.
The Position Paper, highly appreciated by the scientific community, has been presented at a special event, organised in Brussels under the Czech EU Presidency and in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic.
The event involved high-level stakeholders and experts, EU institutions, academia, research institutes, and space industry representatives.
“Nuclear Energy for Space Exploration” has been recorded and is available on the ENS YouTube Channel.
