spacetoday.net: NASA and DARPA to collaborate on nuclear thermal propulsion project

NASA and DARPA to collaborate on nuclear thermal propulsion project

Posted: Sun, Jan 29, 2023, 9:56 AM ET (1456 GMT)
NASA and DARPA will cooperate on a program to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system in space. The agencies announced Tuesday that NASA will support DARPA's ongoing DRACO program by providing the nuclear thermal engine that will power a DARPA-developed spacecraft for a flight demonstration as soon as 2027. NASA is interested in NTP because it is much more efficient than chemical propulsion, enabling shorter missions to Mars. DARPA sees NTP as a technology that greatly enhances maneuverability, particularly for missions in cislunar space.