The National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced plans to test a new nuclear-powered rocket, saying it's capable of greatly reducing the time it would take to fly astronauts to Mars.
The agency is partnering with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in what is being called the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, or DRACO, program, according to a press release.Aside from reduced travel time, such a rocket would also allow a greater payload and better communications and instrumentation.
“NASA will work with our long-term partner, DARPA, to develop and demonstrate advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology as soon as 2027. With the help of this new technology, astronauts could journey to and from deep space faster than ever — a major capability to prepare for crewed missions to Mars,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was quoted as saying.
“DARPA and NASA have a long history of fruitful collaboration in advancing technologies for our respective goals, from the Saturn V rocket that took humans to the Moon for the first time to robotic servicing and refueling of satellites,” Dr. Stefanie Tompkins, director of DARPA, said.
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