Framatome and Perpetual Atomics to Scale Up Space Battery Production for Future Missions

Framatome and Perpetual Atomics to Scale Up Space Battery Production for Future Missions
by Sophie Jenkins
London, UK (SPX) Mar 24, 2025

Framatome and Perpetual Atomics have formalised a new strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aiming to scale up the production of americium-based radioisotope power systems, often referred to as "space batteries." Signed during the Farnborough International Space Show, the agreement outlines a joint effort to advance the industrial processing of americium into sealed sources for radioisotope heater units (RHUs) and radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs).

These power systems, which generate heat through the natural decay of radioisotopes, can use that heat directly or convert it into electrical energy. Among available isotopes, americium-241 stands out due to its lengthy half-life of approximately 430 years, making it an optimal choice for space missions requiring sustained energy over extended durations.

The collaboration is designed to address the need for reliable energy solutions for deep space exploration, with a focus on industrialising the manufacturing processes to meet the demands of upcoming missions.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Perpetual Atomics to jointly pioneer the further development of nuclear power technology, pushing new frontiers in enabling deep space exploration. The partnership forges Perpetual Atomics' cutting-edge technology in radioisotope nuclear power systems with Framatome's global nuclear pedigree in production-scale industrialisation," said Dr. Kason Bala, Chief Commercial Officer, UK Defence and Space at Framatome Ltd.

Professor Richard Ambrosi, Chief Scientific Officer, founder, and Director of Perpetual Atomics, commented: "The UK and Europe host a large inventory of americium, and this combined with the technology maturity, know-how, and industrial capability to scale production and manufacturing establishes an important foundation for the UK and European Space Agency (ESA) programmes. Perpetual Atomics looks forward to working closely with Framatome to develop industrialisation solutions for radioisotope power systems at scale."

The agreement leverages Framatome's extensive experience in nuclear manufacturing and regulatory compliance and Perpetual Atomics' two decades of innovation in the field, much of which has been driven by the Space Nuclear Power group at the University of Leicester. Framatome Space and Framatome Ltd are expected to play significant roles in supporting lunar and Mars exploration missions under UK and ESA initiatives later this decade.