NASA and DARPA announced they awarded Lockheed Martin and BWX Technologies to construct and develop a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) engine.
Lockheed Martin and BWX technologies under DARPA’s DRACO (the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations) program and in partnership with NASA will construct the nuclear thermal rocket. NASA and DARPA are committing as much as $499 million towards this program.
While the general size of this test bed was not revealed, during a press conference today, Dr. Tabitha Dodson of DARPA said it will not require a heavy lift vehicle and have the option to slot in the fairing of a SpaceX Falcon 9 or United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur.
Dr. Dodson also said, “An NTR achieves high thrust just like in-space chemical propulsion but is 2 to 3 times more efficient. With a successful demonstration, we could significantly advance humanity’s means for going faster and farther in space and pave the best way for the longer term deployment for all fission-based nuclear space technologies.”
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Lockheed Martin illustration of DRACO (Credit Lockheed Martin)
The engine might be powered by a fission nuclear reactor engine designed by BWX Technologies and fueled by High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU). One of these system is way different than RTG systems used on Mars rovers, for instance. RTG systems provide no thrust and only convert heat to show into power.
The NTR provides propulsion by directly transferring reactor heat to liquid hydrogen, then the heated gaseous hydrogen expands through the nozzle to supply thrust. The liquid hydrogen will go from -20° Kelvin (-253° Celsius) to 2,700° Kelvin (2,426° Celsius) in lower than a second because it expanded out through the nozzle.
For the liquid hydrogen side of the engine, there might be about 2,000 kg loaded, and may even provide a test to see how long they may have the option to take care of the right temperatures for the liquid hydrogen.
The reactor for the engine is not going to be turned on until after it has reached a “nuclear secure orbit,” which is greater than 700 km above Earth. International standards are that the rocket would wish to remain in a circular orbit for around 300 years. There was no specific orbit decided yet.
America Space Force will select the launch vehicle, most probably to be a Falcon 9 or Vulcan Centaur, however it is a bit too early for that announcement. The teams are also the flexibility to refuel the test bed, as once the liquid hydrogen runs out, the mission could be over.
NASA and DARPA are a launch goal of late 2025 or early 2026.
What do you’re thinking that of this technology?