A step forward has been made toward nuclear thermal propulsion rockets, which will far surpass the chemically powered rockets currently in use, allowing voyages to Mars in a matter of weeks, rather than months.
It was announced on July 26 that the DRACO (Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations) nuclear test rocket will be constructed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) by Lockheed Martin, with plans to launch it into space in 2025 or 2026. BWX Technologies will build the reactor and supply the fuel.
DARPA had started the DRACO project in 2021, and NASA joined in 2023.
After a conventional rocket lifts DRACO into orbit some 700-2,000 km above the Earth, its uranium-powered reactor will be activated. The reaction will be used to heat liquid hydrogen to extremely high temperatures very rapidly. The expanding gas then serves as the propellant.
