ParisThe European Space Agency will adapt Ariane 6 for future nuclear-powered Argonaut landers.
No solar array survives the Moon’s 14-day night, so long missions need heat from decay, not sunlight.
Launching a radioisotope source requires the rocket, not the payload, to be certified against containment failure, the agency said.
Europe is building its own americium-241 supply to end reliance on American plutonium-238.
Sources: European Spaceflight