NASA and DARPA Collaborating on a Nuclear-Powered Rocket for Quick Trips to Mars
Called DRACO, the demonstration spacecraft could reach Mars three times faster than vessels running on traditional chemical-based propulsion.
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DRACO Space Program ? Mars(火星)への航行を新たに推進するSpacecraft のお目見え⁉︎
One of the bigger questions surrounding NASA’s interest in sending a crewed mission to Mars surrounds the best way to get there, and it appears the agency might have found its answer. NASA announced today that it will be developing a nuclear thermal rocket engine in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
The collaboration is called DRACO, or Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, and it’s expected to reduce the travel time it takes to get astronauts to Mars—and potentially more distant targets in deep space. According to a press release, NASA will lead technical development of the nuclear thermal engine that will be combined with an experimental DARPA spacecraft. The two agencies will further collaborate on combining the rocket with the spacecraft ahead of its demonstration in space as early as 2027.