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Propulsion & Power

Zeno to test americium heater on Blue Ghost

By SpaceEnergy 19 August 2026 1 min read
Zeno to test americium heater on Blue Ghost
Rendering of Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander with Zeno Power’s Survive-the-Night Package hosted on the top deck. Source: Firefly Aerospace

(SpaceEnergy) Nuclear battery developer Zeno Power will demonstrate an americium-241 radioisotope heater on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, testing technology designed to operate without solar power through the lunar night.

Lunar transportation company Firefly Aerospace announced a commercial payload agreement on 19 August to carry Zeno’s Survive-the-Night Package to the Moon’s near side on an existing Blue Ghost mission, scheduled to launch no earlier than 2028.

The payload incorporates a 5-watt thermal americium-241 Radioisotope Heater Unit (RHU). Radioactive decay will continuously generate passive heat without dependence on sunlight, helping protect critical spacecraft components during the approximately 14-Earth-day lunar night and potentially in permanently shadowed regions.

Zeno’s dedicated platform will also contain electrical power, communications, command and data handling, structural and thermal-management subsystems.

Blue Ghost will initially operate NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) payloads using solar power throughout the lunar day. Zeno’s package is then intended to continue operating after sunset and transmit operational data to Earth.

Firefly said the demonstration will generate data to advance radioisotope and nuclear-powered technologies for future robotic and human lunar missions requiring operations beyond sunset. Zeno also said it is building production capacity to support future government and commercial demand.

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