US to Test Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft That Could Eventually Fly People to Mars

Artist concept of Demonstration for Rocket to Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft, which will demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine that could be used for future NASA crewed missions to Mars. Courtesy of DARPA

A top NASA official revealed this week that the agency is teaming up with the Department of Defense (DOD) to test a spacecraft engine powered with nuclear fission by 2027, an effort that is part of a long-term NASA plan to send crewed missions to Mars.

In a press release on Tuesday, NASA administrator Bill Nelson said the space program will partner with the DOD’s research and development agency, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), “to develop and demonstrate advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology as soon as 2027.”