DARPA and NASA Aim to Test Nuclear Rocket by 2026

Image caption: This illustration of the DRACO spacecraft being developed by Lockheed Martin for DARPA shows the thermal nuclear engine technology that will provide thrust. Image credit: Lockheed Martin. Article by Philip E. Ross. IEEE Spectrum – August 7, 2023.

If you want to fly to Mars, you have to pick your departure date carefully. The ideal launch windows only come around every 26 months, and those launch windows are narrow because the planets need to be in alignment. Literally. A fast rocket could widen those windows, shorten the trip’s duration, and […]

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