Assessment of the implications of the integration of Russian RHU devices into European spacecraft
This activity was approved by the Aurora Board of Participants within the Work Plan 2006-2009 as part of the core programme 2006-2009 and should be initiated by the end of 2006.
The United States and Russia have been developing and using small radioisotope power sources for space for the last 40 years. They enabled all martian lander and extended lunar lander missions as well as spacecraft to Jupiter and beyond.
The European Aurora Programme envisages a series of automated missions to the Martian surface (with ExoMars in the near-term horizon), for which the use of small radioisotope power sources is a possible option. The full development of radioisotope power sources requires a dedicated infrastructure and substantial resources over several years, and is not foreseen to be performed in Europe. However, with safety being of utmost importance, the use of nuclear power sources requires a solid safety framework, an area in which specific European activity is deemed to be required. Russian devices are in principle available and technically suitable to European mission requirements.
One point to note is that in relation to overall radioisotope power source activity, there is no intention to develop these technologies themselves within Europe. The activity detailed here, and indeed the overall European approach to RHUs, is based on enabling Europe to make use of externally procured devices in European spacecraft.
Europe has only limited expertise and knowledge on the implementation of radioactive power sources in spacecraft. This proposal aims at a thorough and exhaustive assessment of all related aspects of the integration of RHUs into European spacecraft.
While the “Technical and Safety Assessment of Russian RHUs” investigates the technical characteristics of such devices and aims at qualifying them according to European standards, the activity described here intends to assess all the implications of the integration of RHUs into a European spacecraft.
The activity aims at a thorough assessment of all technical and administrative implications of the integration of Russian RHUs into European spacecraft and at identifying all required actions, their logical sequence and dependencies. The report should provide a description of each necessary action, and contain procedures and guidelines on how to perform them.
| Start | Expected
or actual duration | Status | Prime contractor | | TBD | 9 months | Being defined | TBD |
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Last update: 22 May 2006 | 
