NASA, DARPA select Lockheed Martin to develop nuclear rocket engine

Faster transits could also be crucial for long-term missions to Mars and beyond because they would help reduce the amount of supplies and the robustness of systems required for space travel. Also, a nuclear thermal engine would have a higher payload capacity while providing higher power that can be used for instruments and communications.

The planned nuclear engine will use a fission reactor to generate high temperatures. This heat will then be transferred to a liquid propellant which will expand. As it expands, it will be exhausted through a nozzle to propel the spacecraft. According to NASA, such an engine can be three or more times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion systems.

Based on current plans, the nuclear engine will use a fission reactor to generate high temperatures. This heat will then be used to expand a liquid propellant. As it expands, it will be let out through a nozzle to propel the spacecraft. The space agency asserts that such an engine could be as much as three or four times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion systems.

NASA and DARPA had announced in January this year that they will collaborate to build the DRACO (Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations) project. Under the agreement between NASA and DARPA, the space agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) will lead the technical development of the nuclear thermal engine that will be integrated into the latter’s experimental spacecraft. DARPA will act as the contracting authority for the development of the entire stage and the engine, including the reactor.

DARPA announced on Tuesday that it has finalised an agreement with Maryland-based aerospace and defence firm Lockheed Martin to begin work on the fabrication of the experimental NTR vehicle that will use the DRACO engine.