this post was submitted on 04 Apr 2025
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Yeah, some use RTGs, radioisotope thermoelectric generators. A lot of the outer solar system probes like the Pioneers and Voyagers and New Horizons used them because solar power is impractical so far from the sun. The Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on Mars also use RTGs to trickle-charge their main batteries.
There's also a new mission that will be launched in a few years to Saturn's moon Titan using an RTG. An uncrewed vehicle called Dragonfly. It's a large quadcopter - a first in planetary exploration. Titan is a unique world and probably the best in the solar system for powered flight. The atmosphere is slightly thicker than Earth's, but the gravity is lower, making drone copters not just practical but better-performing than on Earth. This flying probe will hop from location to location on short flights, then use the RTG to trickle-charge the flight batteries while landed and doing science.