US defense firm to build nuclear-powered spacecraft under DRACO project

News, US August 1, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft under a Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) project.

U.S. Department of Defense’s agency DARPA has partnered with NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate on the DRACO project. The project aims to represent a rapid advancement in propulsion technology to benefit exploration and national defense.

For many years, chemical propulsion engines have been used for spaceflight, however, an efficient propulsion system has become more necessary, especially for humans to travel to Mars. Nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) engines present a promising solution, offering thrust comparable to conventional chemical propulsion but with an impressive two-to-five times greater efficiency.

NPT engines’ enhanced efficiency would allow spacecraft to travel faster and farther as well as significantly reduce propellant needs. They can also open up the possibility of abort scenarios during Mars journeys that were previously unattainable with chemical propulsion systems.

The future of spaceflight is clear. Actually, it’s nuclear.@DARPA has awarded us a contract to develop a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP)-powered spacecraft under the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) project, the first demo of an NTP system in space. pic.twitter.com/kmnTgTxcW6
— Lockheed Martin Space (@LMSpace) July 26, 2023

According to the Lockheed Martin statement, the in-space flight demonstration of a nuclear thermal rocket engine vehicle will take place no later than 2027.

Vice president of Lunar Exploration Campaigns at Lockheed Martin Space, Kirk Shireman said, “These more powerful and efficient nuclear thermal propulsion systems can provide faster transit times between destinations. Reducing transit time is vital for human missions to Mars to limit a crew’s exposure to radiation.”

Shireman further added that “This is a prime technology that can be used to transport humans and materials to the Moon. A safe, reusable nuclear tug spacecraft would revolutionize cislunar operations. With more speed, agility and maneuverability, nuclear thermal propulsion also has many national security applications for cislunar space.”

*^{Illustration of DRACO nuclear-powered spacecraft being developed by Lockheed Martin for DARPA that will demonstrate thermal nuclear engine technology. (Image Credit: Lockheed Martin)}*

The company’s statement highlighted that “An NTP system uses a nuclear reactor to quickly heat hydrogen propellant to very high temperatures and then funnels that gas through the engine nozzle to create powerful thrust. The fission-based reactor will use a special high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, to convert the cryogenic hydrogen into an extremely hot pressurized gas. The reactor will not be turned on until the spacecraft has reached a nuclear safe orbit, making the NTP system very safe.”

Lockheed Martin has partnered with, BWX Technologies, the U.S. government’s leading supplier of nuclear components and fuel, to develop the nuclear reactor and produce the HALEU fuel.

BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC president Joe Miller said, “In the past several years, BWXT has been maturing its nuclear thermal propulsion fuel and design, and we are excited to further expand into space with our ability to deliver nuclear products and capabilities to the U.S. Government. We look forward to building the reactor and manufacturing the fuel at our Lynchburg, Virginia, facilities.”