Charter Space and Project Omega Partner for Resilient Spacecraft with Long-Duration Power Systems

Business Wire

Collaboration will evaluate how a persistent power source would reduce spacecraft risk, extend mission life, and enable new approaches to anomaly recovery

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Project Omega and Charter Space today announced a partnership to evaluate how next-generation radioisotope power systems would improve spacecraft resilience, reduce mission risk, and enable new approaches to spacecraft recovery and insurance. Charter Space Technologies, Inc. (Charter) is a specialty insurance brokerage and underwriting technology company for space, nuclear, and defense industrial base risks, and Project Omega, a nuclear technology company that has developed a battery power source that could generate electricity for several decades.

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“This partnership is an exciting step towards an interplanetary future. Radioisotope power systems like the ones Project Omega is developing will be a massive game changer for spacecraft reliability and risk management, and we are excited to collaboratively research how persistent space-based nuclear power can make commercial spacecraft safer and more insurable,” said Yuk Chi Chan, Founder and CEO of Charter.

The collaboration will examine the effect of incorporating Project Omega’s long-duration power technology into spacecraft, including where solar-independent power sources can best reduce risks associated with spacecraft operations and extend mission life. Such scenarios include improved survivability during eclipses, solar storms, and lunar night operations.

In addition, the companies will also assess the potential insurance and lifecycle economics of these capabilities, including how persistent power and telemetry could affect expected spacecraft loss frequency and severity, anomaly recovery, end-of-life operations, and total cost of ownership. Up to 1 in 3 CubeSats fail in their first ~100 days (Langer 2016), and commercial smallsats are lost at a rate of over 4% within their first year of operation, with power and comms the top causes (Aerospace Corp 2020). For larger spacecraft, examples such as INMARSAT-6, and GSAT-6A as well as the JAXA Omotenashi on Artemis I all suffered power failures.

“Spacecraft are increasingly critical infrastructure, but many missions still depend on power architectures with vulnerabilities that can turn a recoverable anomaly into a total loss,” said Dr. Stafford Sheehan, Founder and CEO of Project Omega. “Project Omega is developing power systems that will operate for years or decades without sunlight, refueling or recharging. Working with Charter Space, we will be able to improve spacecraft reliability, mission life and ultimately mission economics.”

As part of the partnership, Project Omega and Charter will explore the feasibility of a Survival Telemetry and Recovery Module, similar to an aviation flight data recorder, an independently powered spacecraft beacon and telemetry system, to learn from and derisk future satellite anomalies.

About Charter

Charter is an economic defense company building the insurance infrastructure for America’s space, nuclear, and defense industrial base. Insurance is the missing bridge between these industries and the capital they need. Financial institutions can’t finance what can’t be insured, and legacy markets aren’t built to underwrite the future. Charter provides the risk transfer layer for America’s national security by insuring the assets the U.S. cannot afford to lose, and unlocking the capital to build more. Charter is located in El Segundo, CA, and Falls Church, VA. Learn more at charter.space.

About Project Omega

Project Omega is building the refineries for the nuclear century. The company recycles America's used nuclear fuel through an advanced, non-aqueous pyroprocessing platform and transforms recovered materials into long-duration power sources, reactor feedstock and isotopes for commercial, medical and scientific uses. Omega's first products are designed to deliver persistent power for defense, space and remote operations beyond the reach of conventional grids. By connecting domestic recycling with product development, Project Omega is building a sovereign supply chain from used fuel to deployed capability. Omega has offices in Newport, RI and Hailey, ID and cold lab in Fall River, MA. Learn more at projectomega.com.