Tag: Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft

Rolls-Royce Nuclear Engine Could Allow Crewed Trip to Mars

Gizmodo reports that Rolls-Royce Holdings “is getting into the nuclear reactor business.” The British aerospace engineering company “says it’s developing a micro-nuclear reactor that the company hopes could be a source of fuel for long trips to the Moon and Mars.” As humanity begins “to venture back into space, with crewed missions scheduled to visit the Moon and Mars within the next two decades, the technology that moves us throughout the solar system will be a pivotal part of that journey.” Rolls-Royce teased “the design of its Rolls-Royce micro-reactor for spaceflight with a digital mockup posted to Twitter last week:” As the company “explained in a tweet, the reactor will rely on uranium, a common fuel used in nuclear fission.” Nuclear fission “involves bombarding an atom with a neutron.” The splitting atom releases energy, “and that energy could be used to propel a rocket.” Nuclear reactors “have been used to power things like submarines, but its use in spaceflight has often been overlooked in favor of chemical-based propulsion.”
Full Story (Gizmodo)

AIAA Panel Shows Optimism for Space-Nuclear Power

Aviation Week reports that a panel “of experts assembled by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has expressed optimism that NASA, two cabinet departments and the commercial sector are prepared to address the challenges of embracing space-nuclear power and propulsion.”
Full Story (Aviation Week – Subscription publication)

DARPA to Test Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft

Space News reported that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to “send to orbit a spacecraft powered by a nuclear propulsion system.” The technology “could give the U.S. military an advantage over enemies by making satellites more maneuverable and less vulnerable to attack.” DARPA’s Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2025.
Full Story (Space News)

NASA Advocates for Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft

SPACE reported NASA and aerospace experts “discussed how the U.S. stacks up against other nations when it comes to developing new nuclear propulsion technology” at a House of Representatives hearing last week. NASA Budget and Finance Senior Advisor Bhavya Lal said, “Strategic competitors including China are aggressively investing in a wide range of space technologies, including nuclear power and propulsion. The United States needs to move at a fast pace to stay competitive and to remain a leader in the global space community.” NASA “has previously discussed how nuclear propulsion technology could allow the agency to send humans to Mars more quickly than by using traditional chemical rockets.”
Full Story (SPACE)

Space Force Sees Potential in Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft

Space News reports that US Space Force Vice Chief Gen. David Thompson said Wednesday that space vehicles powered by small nuclear reactors could be used for military missions in deep space. Thompson said at the Mitchell Institute virtual forum that nuclear propulsion “holds the potential for significant advantages in terms of efficiency compared to standard chemical rockets.”
Full Story (Space News)