Nuclear thermal spaceflight might be a lot closer than you think. DARPA's Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program is underway with the U.S. Pentagon agency having recently announced its three prime contractors: General Atomics, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin.
The goal of the DRACO program is to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system above low Earth orbit in 2025, DARPA explains in a press statement. With mission success, DARPA would have built the first rocket using a technology that couldhalve our travel time across the Solar System.
The limitations of electric and chemical space propulsion systems mean they are unable to achieve the speeds required to travel to the distant reaches of the universe. DRACO's nuclear thermal propulsion system may change as it has the potential to achieve high thrust-to-weight ratios comparable to in-space chemical propulsion at the same time as match the high propellent efficiency of electric systems. The program is focused on rapid transit between the Earth and the Moon, though it would likely be further developed to also reach Mars and beyond.
In a press release, the Sierra Nevada Corporation announced that it will be working with General Atomics on the NTP program. The company stated that "NTP offers a high thrust-to-weight ratio around 10,000 times greater than electric propulsion and two to five times greater specific propellant efficiency than chemical propulsion." It also explained that the nuclear thermal propulsion system will use a liquid hydrogen propellant heated by a nuclear fission reactor. This will provide double the energy output of today's most advanced liquid propellant rocket engine.
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