Lockheed Martin Selected to Develop Nuclear Propelled Spacecraft
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A Department of Defense agency and NASA picked Lockheed Martin Corp. to design and develop the first nuclear thermal rocket engine to be tested in space, part of a program called DRACO.Through a contract announced on Wednesday with the federal research and development organization known as Darpa, Lockheed Martin will design and build the nuclear-propelled engine along with an experimental spacecraft, called X-NTRV. The goal will be to launch the spacecraft with the nuclear engine in 2027. NASA will commit $300 million to DRACO, while the US Space Force will provide the launch vehicle and pad for the X-NTRV vehicle. The idea of nuclear thermal propulsion has long been considered as a way to send shortened crewed missions to Mars. Such engines could produce high thrust, but more ef...