The University of Leicester has announced the launch of a new spin-out company focused on the application of nuclear technology in space.

Perpetual Atomics will commercialise over 20 years of space nuclear power research at the university, aiming to solve power challenges in space missions to ensure sustainability and reliability in harsh environments.

The university said the technology has the potential to enable longer, more ambitious missions beyond Earth’s orbit.

The technology harnesses the decay of radioisotopes, which are unstable elements that produce radiation as they break down and become more stable.

The power systems using radioisotopes can be used to provide heat to spacecraft or converted into electricity.

Perpetual Atomics will be based at Space Park Leicester, the University of Leicester’s £100 million science and innovation park, where a space nuclear power community is being developed.

The company is the main developer of radioisotope thermoelectric generators in Europe.
Its research has been funded by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) European Devices Using Radioisotope Energy (ENDURE) program, as well as the UK Space Agency.

“Perpetual Atomics is an exemplar of the type of business that Space Park Leicester was established to create: originating from world-leading research that has been nurtured at the University of Leicester for many years, and enabled by the dedicated, highly skilled and innovative community at our flagship Space Park Leicester,” said professor Sarah Davies, pro vice-chancellor and head of the college of science and engineering at the University of Leicester. “The spin-out launch will seize an opportunity that is already pushing new frontiers for the space industry globally, and we are excited to see it do the same for humanity’s exploration beyond our world.”

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