Radioisotope Power Systems
Resources
View iconic images made possible by RPS power. Watch video explanations of the power behind those images. Download fact sheets, reports, and more.
Galleries
Explore images and graphics related to radioisotope power systems (RPS).

GREAT IMAGES POWERED BY RPS
Amazing images from around the solar system taking by RPS-powered missions.

RPS TECHNOLOGY
Images of spacecraft, radioisotope thermoelectric generators and other RPS technology.

Featured Image
Powered by RPS
Pluto and Arrokoth
NASA's New Horizons, powered by a single General Purpose Heat Source Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (GPHS-RTG) captured these never-before-seen views of Pluto and Kuiper Belt Object Arrokoth during its extended exploration beyond Neptune.
Credits: NASA/SwRI/JHU-APL
Featured Image
Powered by RPS
![Images of the trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) Pluto [left] and Arrokoth [right], the primary flyby targets of NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft in 2015 and 2019.](https://assets.science.nasa.gov/dynamicimage/assets/science/missions/webb/outreach/sidebyside.png?w=872&h=456&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint)
Videos
Watch videos and animations related to radioisotope power systems (RPS).

How Does a Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator Work?
Some of the most daring and exciting NASA missions exploring our solar system have become a reality thanks to a discovery made 200 years ago.

Radioisotope Power Systems - Power to Explore Trailer
Space nuclear power to explore the deepest, dustiest, darkest, and most distant regions of our solar system and beyond.

MMRTG Pull-Apart Animation
A Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) is a type of space nuclear power system that converts heat into electricity using no moving parts.

GPHS Pull-Apart Animation
The General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) is the essential building block for the radioisotope generators used by some NASA spacecraft.

RHU Pull-Apart Animation
Radioisotope heater units (RHUs) are small devices that use the decay of plutonium-238 to provide heat to spacecraft in the cold space environment.

NASA 2025 Power to Explore Student Essay Contest Trailer
Contestants were challenged to explore how NASA has powered some of its most famous science missions.

NASA 2024 Power to Explore Student Essay Contest Trailer
Contestants were challenged to explore how NASA has powered some of its most famous science missions.
3D Viewer
Fact Sheets
2023-2032 Planetary Science Decadal Study
Origins, Worlds, and Life: A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032 highlights key science questions, identifies priority missions, and presents a comprehensive research strategy that includes both planetary defense and human exploration.
Download from the National Academies