BOHR: World’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite!

SpaceX launched the Transporter-17 rideshare mission on 7 July 2026, carrying 81 payloads, including the Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability (BOHR) satellite.

• Developed by City Labs, BOHR is the world’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite and the first nuclear-powered CubeSat.
• It is a technology demonstration mission designed to test the company’s NanoTritium betavoltaic micropower source in space for the first time.

NanoTritium Technology

• NanoTritium generates electricity using beta particles released during the radioactive decay of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.
• These beta particles are converted directly into electrical energy using a semiconductor device, a process known as betavoltaic power generation.
• Unlike conventional batteries, betavoltaic power sources can provide long-lasting, low-power electricity for extended periods.

How BOHR Works

• The satellite uses solar power to operate its main spacecraft systems.
• The NanoTritium betavoltaic battery powers the demonstration payload and validates the technology in the space environment.

Difference from RTGs

• BOHR’s betavoltaic technology differs from the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) used in NASA missions such as the Voyager spacecraft.
• RTGs generate electricity from the heat produced by the radioactive decay of plutonium.
• Betavoltaic batteries generate electricity directly from beta radiation, without converting heat into electrical energy.

Source: Nuclear Newswire

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