Lockheed Martin is chosen by NASA and DARPA to build a nuclear rocket engine.
Lockheed Martin has been chosen by the American National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to create a nuclear propulsion engine that might be tested as early as 2027.
Nuclear thermal engines are designed to speed up spaceflight, which would lower the dangers to humans.
Faster transits may also be essential for long-term trips to Mars and beyond since they would lessen the quantity of supplies and system reliability needed for spaceflight. A nuclear thermal engine would also be able to power more equipment and communications while also having a bigger payload capacity.
The fission reactor that will be used to produce the high temperatures for the nuclear engine is envisaged. Following that, a liquid propellant will experience this heat transfer and expand. In order to move the spaceship, it will be depleted when it expands via a nozzle. NASA claims that compared to current chemical propulsion systems, such an engine might be three or more times more effective.
According to current proposals, the nuclear engine will produce high temperatures using a fission reactor. A liquid propellant will then be expanded using this heat. It will be released through a nozzle to accelerate the spaceship as it grows. According to the space agency, an engine like this might be up to three or four times more effective than typical chemical propulsion systems.
In January of this year, NASA and DARPA announced that they will work together to develop the DRACO (Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations) project. The Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) of NASA will oversee the technical development of the nuclear thermal engine that will be included into the experimental spacecraft of DARPA. For the development of the complete stage, the engine, and the reactor, DARPA will serve as the contracting authority.
On Tuesday, DARPA said that it has reached a deal with Maryland-based aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin to start building the experimental NTR vehicle that would utilize the DRACO engine.