Calay News
NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have collaborated to develop a new nuclear-powered propulsion technology for a rocket to be launched in 2027. The goal is to create a rocket that can orbit for 300 years and reach higher altitudes in space than conventional rockets, since the amount of thrust generated by these rockets is limited by the fuels used. Nuclear technology will allow greater thrust to reach these heights. The switch to high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) will provide a higher proportion of enriched uranium in the fuel mix compared to the fuel typically used in light-water nuclear reactors.
NASA will be responsible for designing the nuclear thermal rocket technology (NTR) and NTR engine, building and developing the nuclear reactor, ground testing the engine, assisting DARPA in acquiring HALEU and integrating it into vehicles. The engine will be integrated into a booster, and DARPA will integrate the launch vehicle into the X-NTRV. DARPA Director Stefanie Tompkins has noted that the system will be designed so that the engine will not operate until it reaches space and will use an orbit that will not degrade until the engine is safe to re-enter Earth. It is important to reach a high enough altitude so that the material will no longer be radioactive when it re-enters properly.
The minimum threshold for this is 700 kilometers, but it can go as high as 2,000 kilometers, which is well above the International Space Station. This project represents a major breakthrough in propulsion technology and may have important implications for future space exploration.
