Power System _{lasting hundreds of years}

Nuclear Fission

Team Bound will use power generated from a mini nuclear fission reactor with a long lifespan. Studies have shown that nuclear fission reactors will be the best choice for the next generation interstellar missions. Bound needs approximately 250kW of power to drive its ion drive. Bound also needs power for onboard devices, computers, communication system and star tracking devices.

Research for Power System

Initial research for the power system was based upon the Project Longshot¹. This study reported a preliminary design for an unmanned probe to Alpha Centauri with a planned launch early in the 21st century.This probe use a large, long-life fission reactor with 300 kilowatts power output. The total mass of the system was 6400 kg including fuel.

Distance is one of the major constraining factors of the power system for team bound. With present technology it is easy to achieve 250 kW of power output, but the lifespan of the reactor is a major concern. Currently, mini nuclear reactors are being developed with a life span of 60-80 years. With the continuing advancement of technology, it can be possible to build a reactor that can provide power for centuries.

To travel 10.5 light years in 1000 years, Team bound will need a reactor with the following approximate specifications:

Reactor mass	6000 kg
Shielding	4000 kg
All other units mass	20000kg

Hence an approximate mass of the entire unit will be 30,000 kg to allow for high quality shielding due to the long-duration voyage.

Radioactive Thermal Generator: RTG's have long lifespans and provide energy at predictable rates; however due to the long distance and travel time we need a radioactive material which has a half-life of at least 1000 years. There are materials present that have such a half life, but their output power is extremely low as compared to fission reactors.

Fusion Reactors: A fusion reactor could be considered for this type of mission, but currently there are only paper proposals for fusion reactors and there is no solid evidence of feasible implementation, working pattern, reliability, or safety.

Solar Cells: Solar cells will work well within the nearer portion of the solar system, however the long distance of the trip means their power provisions will fall as we move away from the sun. They would be reduced to very low levels of power provision long before even leaving our solar system. Our ion drive also requires relatively high power, which would require extremely large sized solar panels that are not viable to fit on our spacecraft.

Batteries: As the distance and travel time are very long, batteries are not suitable options. Present battery systems are not capable of lasting anywhere near the length of the voyage. Additionally, a system of recharging these batteries would be necessary, and a large number of batteries would be required for the high power requirements of our ion drive.

Looking at various proposals, team bound has decided to give a special contract to Hyperion Power Generation Inc., to build a special mini reactor for this mission. Currently Hyperion power generation is trying to build small modular nuclear power plants with an extremely small size and output power of about 25MW². The contract is expected to last 30-35 years and be valued at over $2 billion with materials. Hyperion Power Genereation will be awarded $8 million for a 1 year feasibility study of the technology and will continue on an award-fee basis. More information can be found in the Budget Section.