SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base carrying the BOHR satellite and 80 additional payloads during the Transporter-17 mission.
SpaceX has completed the launch of what is described as the first commercially developed satellite using nuclear power, representing a notable step forward for nuclear technology in space.
The satellite, named BOHR for Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability, was built by Florida-based City Labs. It launched Tuesday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the Transporter-17 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
The Falcon 9 carried 81 payloads in total, with satellite deployments beginning around 50 minutes after liftoff.
BOHR is a demonstration mission to test City Labs’ NanoTritium betavoltaic micropower source in space for the first time.
Unlike typical satellites that depend on solar panels, NanoTritium produces electricity from beta particles emitted during the radioactive decay of tritium, a form of hydrogen. The particles are converted into electrical energy through a semiconductor device.
