[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83923-83927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28457]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Posting of the Presidential Policy Directive 6 (Space Policy),
``National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion''
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Presidential Policy Directive 6 (Space Policy) directs
implementation of the National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and
Propulsion. The Secretary is authorized and directed to publish the
Memorandum in the Federal Register.
DATES: Presidential Policy Directive 6 was signed on December 16, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this
Notice, please contact Ms. Tracey Bishop, Deputy Assistant Secretary
for Nuclear Infrastructure Programs, U.S. Department of Energy, 19901
Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874; phone: 301-903-5543; email to:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Presidential Policy Directive Memorandum:
National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion.
Memorandum for: The Vice President; The Secretary of State; The
Secretary of Defense; The Secretary of Commerce; The Secretary of
Transportation; The Secretary of Energy; The Director of the Office of
Management and Budget; The Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs; The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration; The Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission; The Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy.
Section 1. Policy. The ability to use space nuclear power and
propulsion (SNPP) systems safely, securely, and sustainably is vital to
maintaining and advancing United States dominance and strategic
leadership in space. SNPP systems include radioisotope power systems
(RPSs) and fission reactors used for power or propulsion in spacecraft,
rovers, and other surface elements. SNPP systems can allow operation of
such elements in environments in which solar and chemical power are
inadequate. They can produce more power at lower mass and volume
compared to other energy sources, thereby enabling persistent presence
and operations. SNPP systems also can shorten transit times for crewed
and robotic spacecraft, thereby reducing radiation exposure in harsh
space environments.
National Security Presidential Memorandum-20 (NSPM-20) of August
20, 2019 (Launch of Spacecraft Containing Space Nuclear Systems),
updated the process for launches of spacecraft containing space nuclear
systems. It established it as the policy of the United States to
''develop and use space nuclear systems when such systems safely enable
or enhance space exploration or operational capabilities.''
Cooperation with commercial and international partners is critical
to achieving America's objectives for space exploration. Presidential
Policy Directive 4 of June 28, 2010 (National Space Policy), as amended
by the Presidential Memorandum of December 11, 2017 (Reinvigorating
America's Human Space Exploration Program), established it as the
policy of the United States to ``[l]ead an innovative and sustainable
program of exploration with commercial and international partners to
enable human expansion across the solar system and to bring back to
Earth new knowledge and opportunities.''
This memorandum establishes a national strategy to ensure the
development and use of SNPP systems when appropriate to enable and
achieve the scientific, exploration, national security, and commercial
objectives of the United States. In the context of this strategy only,
the term ``development'' includes the full development process from
design through testing and production, and the term ``use'' includes
launch, operation, and disposition. This memorandum outlines high-level
policy goals and a supporting roadmap that will advance the ability of
the United States to use SNPP systems safely, securely, and
sustainably. The execution of this strategy will be subject to relevant
budgetary and regulatory processes and to the availability of
appropriations.
Section 2. Goals. The United States will pursue goals for SNPP
development and use that are both mission-enabling and ambitious in
their substance and their timeline. These goals will enable a range of
existing and future space missions, with the aim of accelerating
achievement of key milestones, including in-space demonstration and use
of new SNPP capabilities. This
[[Page 83924]]
memorandum establishes the following such goals for the Nation:
(a) Develop uranium fuel processing capabilities that enable
production of fuel that is suitable to lunar and planetary surface and
in-space power, nuclear electric propulsion (NEP), and nuclear thermal
propulsion (NTP) applications, as needed. These capabilities should
support the ability to produce different uranium fuel forms to meet the
nearest-term mission needs and, to the extent feasible, should maximize
commonality--meaning use of the same or similar materials, processes,
designs, or infrastructure--across these fuel forms. To maximize
private-sector engagement and cost savings, these capabilities should
be developed to enable a range of terrestrial as well as space
applications, including future commercial applications;
(b) Demonstrate a fission power system on the surface of the Moon
that is scalable to a power range of 40 kilowatt-electric (kWe) and
higher to support a sustained lunar presence and exploration of Mars.
To the extent feasible, this power system should align with mission
needs for, and potential future government and commercial applications
of, in-space power, NEP, and terrestrial nuclear power;
(c) Establish the technical foundations and capabilities--including
through identification and resolution of the key technical challenges--
that will enable options for NTP to meet future Department of Defense
(DoD) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mission
requirements; and
(d) Develop advanced RPS capabilities that provide higher fuel
efficiency, higher specific energy, and longer operational lifetime
than existing RPS capabilities, thus enabling survivable surface
elements to support robotic and human exploration of the Moon and Mars
and extending robotic exploration of the solar system.
Section. 3. Principles. The United States will adhere to principles
of safety, security, and sustainability in its development and use of
SNPP systems, in accordance with all applicable Federal laws and
consistent with international obligations and commitments.
(a) Safety. All executive departments and agencies (agencies)
involved in the development and use of SNPP systems shall take
appropriate measures to ensure, within their respective roles and
responsibilities, the safe development, testing, launch, operation, and
disposition of SNPP systems. For United States Government SNPP
programs, the sponsoring agency holds primary responsibility for
safety. For programs involving multiple agencies, the terms of
cooperation shall designate a lead agency with primary responsibility
for safety in each stage of development and use.
(i) Ground development. Activities associated with ground
development, including ground testing, of SNPP systems shall be
conducted in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and local laws
and existing authorities of regulatory agencies.
(ii) Launch. NSPM-20 established safety guidelines and safety
analysis and review processes for Federal Government launches of
spacecraft containing space nuclear systems, including SNPP systems,
and for launches for which the Department of Transportation has
statutory authority to license as commercial space launch activities
(commercial launches). These guidelines and processes address launch
and any subsequent stages during which accidents may result in
radiological effects on the public or the environment--for instance, in
an unplanned reentry from Earth orbit or during an Earth flyby. Launch
activities shall be conducted in accordance with these guidelines and
processes.
(iii) Operation and disposition. The operation and disposition of
SNPP systems shall be planned and conducted in a manner that protect
human and environmental safety and national security assets. Fission
reactor SNPP systems may be operated on interplanetary missions, in
sufficiently high orbits, and in low-Earth orbits if they are stored in
sufficiently high orbits after the operational part of their mission.
In this context, a sufficiently high orbit is one in which the orbital
lifetime of the spacecraft is long enough for the fission products to
decay to a level of radioactivity comparable to that of uranium-235 by
the time it reenters the Earth's atmosphere, and the risks to existing
and future space missions and of collision with objects in space are
minimized. Spacecraft operating fission reactors in low-Earth orbits
shall incorporate a highly reliable operational system to ensure
effective and controlled disposition of the reactor.
(b) Security. All agencies involved in the development and use of
SNPP systems shall take appropriate measures to protect nuclear and
radiological materials and sensitive information, consistent with sound
nuclear nonproliferation principles. For United States Government SNPP
programs, the sponsoring agency holds primary responsibility for
security. For programs involving multiple agencies, the terms of
cooperation shall designate a lead agency with primary responsibility
for security in each stage of development and use. The use of highly
enriched uranium (HEU) in SNPP systems should be limited to
applications for which the mission would not be viable with other
nuclear fuels or non-nuclear power sources. Before selecting HEU or,
for fission reactor systems, any nuclear fuel other than low-enriched
uranium (LEU), for any given SNPP design or mission, the sponsoring
agency shall conduct a thorough technical review to assess the
viability of alternative nuclear fuels. The sponsoring agency shall
provide to the respective staffs of the National Security Council, the
National Space Council, the Office of Science and Technology Policy,
and the Office of Management and Budget a briefing that provides
justification for why the use of HEU or other non-LEU fuel is required,
and any steps the agency has taken to address nuclear safety, security,
and proliferation-related risks. The Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall ensure, through the National Science and
Technology Council, that other relevant agencies are invited to
participate in these briefings.
(c) Sustainability. All agencies involved in the development and
use of SNPP systems shall take appropriate measures to conduct these
activities in a manner that is suitable for the long-term sustainment
of United States space capabilities and leadership in SNPP.
(i) Coordination and Collaboration. To maximize efficiency and
return on taxpayer investment, the heads of relevant agencies shall
seek and pursue opportunities to coordinate among existing and future
SNPP development and use programs. Connecting current efforts with
likely future applications will help ensure that such programs can
contribute to long-term United States SNPP capabilities and leadership.
Agencies also shall seek opportunities to partner with the private
sector, including academic institutions, in order to facilitate
contributions to United States SNPP capabilities and leadership. To
help identify opportunities for collaboration, the heads of relevant
agencies should conduct regular technical exchanges among SNPP
programs, to the extent that such exchanges are consistent with the
principle of security and comply with applicable Federal, State, and
local laws. Agencies shall coordinate with the Department of State when
seeking opportunities for international partnerships.
(ii) Commonality. The heads of relevant agencies shall seek to
identify and use opportunities for commonality among SNPP systems, and
between
[[Page 83925]]
SNPP and terrestrial nuclear systems, whenever doing so could advance
program and policy objectives without unduly inhibiting innovation or
market development, or hampering system suitability to specific mission
applications. For example, opportunities for commonality may exist in
goals (e.g., demonstration timeline), reactor design, nuclear fuels
(e.g., fuel type and form, and enrichment level), supplementary systems
(e.g., power conversion, moderator, reflector, shielding, and system
vessel), methods (e.g., additive manufacturing of fuel or reactor
elements), and infrastructure (e.g., fuel supply, testing facilities,
launch facilities, and workforce).
(iii) Cost-effectiveness. The heads of relevant agencies should
pursue SNPP development and use solutions that are cost-effective while
also consistent with the principles of safety and security. For any
program or system, the heads of such agencies should seek to identify
the combination of in-space and ground-based testing and certification
that will best qualify the system for a given mission while ensuring
public safety.
Section. 4. Roles and Responsibilities. (a) The Vice President, on
behalf of the President and acting through the National Space Council,
shall coordinate United States policy related to use of SNPP systems.
(b) The Secretary of State shall, under the direction of the
President, coordinate United States activities related to international
obligations and commitments and international cooperation involving
SNPP.
(c) The Secretary of Defense shall conduct and support activities
associated with development and use of SNPP systems to enable and
achieve United States national security objectives. When appropriate,
the Secretary of Defense shall facilitate private-sector engagement in
DoD SNPP activities.
(d) The Secretary of Commerce shall promote responsible United
States commercial SNPP investment, innovation, and use, and shall, when
consistent with the authorities of the Secretary, ensure the
publication of clear, flexible, performance-based rules that are
applicable to use of SNPP and are easily navigated. Under the direction
of the Secretary of Commerce, the Department of Commerce (DOC) shall
ascertain and communicate the views of private-sector partners and
potential private-sector partners to relevant agency partners in order
to facilitate public-private collaboration in SNPP development and use.
(e) The Secretary of Transportation's statutory authority includes
licensing commercial launches and reentries, including vehicles
containing SNPP systems. Within this capacity, the Secretary of
Transportation shall, when appropriate, facilitate private-sector
engagement in the launch or reentry aspect of SNPP development and use
activities, in support of United States science, exploration, national
security, and commercial objectives. To help ensure the launch safety
of an SNPP payload, and consistent with 51 U.S.C. 50904, a payload
review may be conducted as part of a license application review or may
be requested by a payload owner or operator in advance of or apart from
a license application.
(f) The Secretary of Energy shall, in coordination with sponsoring
agencies and other agencies, as appropriate, support development and
use of SNPP systems to enable and achieve United States scientific,
exploration, and national security objectives. When appropriate, the
Secretary of Energy shall work with sponsoring agencies and DOC to
facilitate United States private-sector engagement in Department of
Energy (DOE) SNPP activities. Under the direction of the Secretary of
Energy and consistent with the authorities granted to DOE, including
authorities under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (AEA), as amended, 42
U.S.C. 2011, et seq., DOE may authorize ground-based SNPP development
activities, including DOE activities conducted in coordination with
sponsoring agencies and private-sector entities. As directed in NSPM-
20, the Secretary of Energy shall maintain, on a full-cost recovery
basis, the capability and infrastructure to develop, furnish, and
conduct safety analyses for space nuclear systems for use in United
States Government space systems.
(g) The Administrator of NASA shall conduct and support activities
associated with development and use of SNPP systems to enable and
achieve United States space science and exploration objectives. The
Administrator of NASA shall establish the performance requirements for
SNPP capabilities necessary to achieve those objectives. When
appropriate, the Administrator of NASA shall facilitate private-sector
engagement in NASA SNPP activities, and shall coordinate with the
Secretary of Commerce and, as appropriate, the Secretary of State and
the Secretary of Energy, to help facilitate private-sector SNPP
activities.
(h) The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has statutory authority
under the AEA for licensing and regulatory safety and security
oversight of commercial nuclear activities taking place within the
United States. The NRC should, as appropriate and particularly in
circumstances within NRC authority where DOE regulatory authorities
cannot be applied, enable private-sector engagement in SNPP development
and use activities in support of United States science, exploration,
national security, and commercial objectives.
(i) The Director of the Office and Science and Technology Policy
shall coordinate United States policy related to research and
development of SNPP systems.
Section. 5. Roadmap. The United States will pursue a coordinated
roadmap for federally-supported SNPP activities to achieve the goals
and uphold the principles established in this memorandum. This roadmap
comprises the following elements, which the relevant agencies should
pursue consistent with the following objective timeline, subject to
relevant budgetary and regulatory processes and to the availability of
appropriations:
(a) By the mid-2020s, develop uranium fuel processing capabilities
that enable production of fuel that is suitable for lunar and planetary
surface and in-space power, NEP, and NTP applications, as needed.
(i) Identify relevant mission needs. DoD and NASA should provide to
DOE any mission needs (e.g., power density, environment, and timelines)
relevant to the identification of fuels suitable for planetary surface
and in-space power, NEP, and NTP applications.
(ii) Identify candidate fuel or fuels. DoD and NASA, in cooperation
with DOE and private-sector partners, as appropriate, should identify
candidate fuel or fuels to meet the identified mission requirements.
This review and assessment should account for current and expected
United States capabilities to produce and qualify for use candidate
fuels, and for potential commonality of fuels or fuel variants across
multiple planetary surface and in-space power, in-space propulsion, and
terrestrial applications.
(iii) Qualify at least one candidate fuel. DoD and NASA, in
cooperation with DOE and private-sector partners, as appropriate,
should qualify a fuel or fuels for demonstrations of a planetary
surface power reactor and an in-space propulsion system. While seeking
opportunities to use private-sector-partner capabilities, agencies
should ensure that the Federal Government retains an ability for
screening and qualification of candidate fuels.
[[Page 83926]]
(iv) Supply fuel for demonstrations. DOE, in cooperation with NASA
and DoD, and with private-sector partners, as appropriate, should
identify feedstock and uranium that can be made available for planetary
surface power and in-space propulsion demonstrations. DOE shall ensure
that any provision of nuclear material for SNPP will not disrupt
enriched uranium supplies for the United States nuclear weapons program
and the naval propulsion program, and that SNPP needs are included
among broader considerations of nuclear fuel supply provisioning and
management.
(b) By the mid- to late-2020s, demonstrate a fission power system
on the surface of the Moon that is scalable to a power range of 40 kWe
and higher to support sustained lunar presence and exploration of Mars.
(i) Initiate a surface power project. NASA should initiate a
fission surface power project for lunar surface demonstration by 2027,
with scalability to Mars exploration. NASA should consult with DoD and
other agencies, and with the private sector, as appropriate, when
developing project requirements.
(ii) Conduct technology and requirements assessment. NASA, in
coordination with DoD and other agencies, and with private-sector
partners, as appropriate, should evaluate technology options for a
surface power system including reactor designs, power conversion,
shielding, and thermal management. NASA should work with other
agencies, and private-sector partners, as appropriate, to evaluate
opportunities for commonality among other SNPP needs, including in-
space power and terrestrial power needs, possible NEP technology needs,
and reactor demonstrations planned by NASA, other agencies, or the
private sector.
(iii) Engage the private sector. DOE and NASA should determine a
mechanism or mechanisms for engaging with the private sector to meet
NASA's SNPP surface power needs in an effective manner consistent with
the guiding principles set forth in this memorandum. In evaluating
mechanisms, DOE and NASA should consider the possibility of NASA
issuing a request for proposal for the development and construction of
the surface power reactor system or demonstration.
(iv) System development. NASA should work with DOE, and with other
agencies and private-sector partners, as appropriate, to develop the
lunar surface power demonstration project.
(v) Conduct demonstration mission. NASA, in coordination with other
agencies and with private-sector partners, as appropriate, should
launch and conduct the lunar surface power demonstration project.
(c) By the late-2020s, establish the technical foundations and
capabilities--including through identification and resolution of the
key technical challenges--that will enable NTP options to meet future
DoD and NASA mission needs.
(i) Conduct requirements assessment. DoD and NASA, in cooperation
with DOE, and with other agencies and private-sector partners, as
appropriate, should assess the ability of NTP capabilities to enable
and advance existing and potential future DoD and NASA mission
requirements.
(ii) Conduct technology assessment. DoD and NASA, in cooperation
with DOE, and with other agencies and private-sector partners, as
appropriate, should evaluate technology options and associated key
technical challenges for an NTP system, including reactor designs,
power conversion, and thermal management. DoD and NASA should work with
their partners to evaluate and use opportunities for commonality with
other SNPP needs, terrestrial power needs, and reactor demonstration
projects planned by agencies and the private sector.
(iii) Technology development. DoD, in coordination with DOE and
other agencies, and with private-sector partners, as appropriate,
should develop reactor and propulsion system technologies that will
resolve the key technical challenges in areas such as reactor design
and production, propulsion system and spacecraft design, and SNPP
system integration.
(d) By 2030, develop advanced RPS capabilities that provide higher
fuel efficiency, higher specific energy, and longer operational
lifetime than existing RPS capabilities, thus enabling survivable
surface elements to support robotic and human exploration of the Moon
and Mars and extending robotic exploration of the solar system.
(i) Maintain RPS capability. Mission sponsoring agencies should
assess their needs for radioisotope heat source material to meet
emerging mission requirements, and should work with DOE to jointly
identify the means to produce or acquire the necessary material on a
timeline that meets mission requirements.
(ii) Engage the private sector. NASA, in coordination with DOE and
DOC, should conduct an assessment of opportunities for engaging the
private sector to meet RPS needs in an effective manner consistent with
the guiding principles established in this memorandum.
(iii) Conduct technology and requirements assessment. NASA, in
coordination with DOE and DoD, and with other agencies and private-
sector partners, as appropriate, should assess requirements for next-
generation RPS systems and evaluate technology options for meeting
those requirements.
(iv) System development. DOE, in coordination with NASA and DoD,
and with other agencies and private-sector partners, as appropriate,
should develop one or more next-generation RPS system or systems to
meet the goals of higher fuel efficiency, higher specific energy, and
longer operational lifetime for the required range of power.
Section. 6. Implementation. The Vice President, through the
National Space Council, shall coordinate implementation of this
memorandum.
Section. 7. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this memorandum
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or
agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable
law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any
right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in
equity by any party against the United States, its departments,
agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other
person.
(d) The Secretary of Energy is authorized and directed to publish
this memorandum in the Federal Register.
Dated: December 16, 2020.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on December
18, 2020, by Dr. Rita Baranwal, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy,
Department of Energy, pursuant to delegated authority from the
Secretary of Energy. That document with the original signature and date
is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in
compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as
an official document of the Department of Energy. This
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administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this
document upon publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on December 18, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-28457 Filed 12-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P