DARPA, NASA Detail Space Nuclear Rocket Test Plan

DRACO

The complete DRACO vehicle is designed to fit within a standard National Security Space Launch vehicle payload fairing.

Credit: Lockheed Martin Concept
Half a century after the last U.S. space nuclear thermal propulsion effort was abruptly canceled, the awarding of a joint DARPA/NASA demonstration program to Lockheed Martin has raised hopes of testing a nuclear-powered rocket in space no later than 2027. Under an agreement announced July 26, the...
Guy Norris

Guy is a Senior Editor for Aviation Week, covering technology and propulsion. He is based in Colorado Springs.

DARPA, NASA Detail Space Nuclear Rocket Test Plan is part of our Aviation Week & Space Technology - Inside MRO and AWIN subscriptions.

Subscribe now to read this content, plus receive full coverage of what's next in technology from the experts trusted by the commercial aircraft MRO community.

Already a subscriber to AWST or an AWIN customer? Log in with your existing email and password.