The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said this week it is planning several outer space projects, including the use of nuclear power for certain space exploration.
NASA outlined these new initiatives at its Ignition event held in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to discuss missions involving the moon and Mars.
Among other things, NASA seeks to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft, dubbed Space Reactor-1 Freedom, into orbit and reach Mars before the end of 2028. NASA said in its Tuesday press release that Space Reactor-1 Freedom will be the first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft to demonstrate advanced nuclear electric propulsion in deep space.
This is a type of spacecraft propulsion system that uses thermal energy from a nuclear fission reactor and converts it into electrical energy. NASA said the technology “provides an extraordinary capability for efficient mass transport in deep space and enables high power missions beyond Jupiter where solar arrays are not effective.”
When the nuclear-powered craft reaches Mars it will continue to explore the planet, NASA said. The exploration part of the Mars mission takes up the objectives of a previous mission called “Skyfall” that aimed to deploy helicopters to explore the planet’s surface for potential water, ice or landing sites.
The space agency said the Space Reactor-1 Freedom will set the precedent for future nuclear fission power systems across propulsion, surface and long-duration missions.
“In our science missions, we are opening the lunar surface to researchers and students nationwide, and with Space Reactor‑1 Freedom, we are finally putting nuclear propulsion on a trajectory out of the laboratory and into deep space,” NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said.
The initiatives are part of President Donald Trump’s national space policy, NASA officials said.
While new plans for Mars are in play, NASA continues to put building a moon base at the forefront of its plans as the space agency said it will take a three-phase approach to achieve this goal. Requests for information and draft requests for proposals will be released in the coming days, NASA said.
NASA previously announced plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. The space agency will team up with the Department of Energy to try to execute on those plans.
“NASA is committed to achieving the near‑impossible once again, to return to the Moon before the end of President Trump’s term, build a Moon base, establish an enduring presence, and do the other things needed to ensure American leadership in space,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said.