NASA Aims To Demonstrate Nuclear Electric Propulsion In Late 2028

Irene Klotz April 02, 2026

NASA Space Reactor-1 Freedom — The U.S. has not flown a nuclear reactor in space since 1965, but that could change with the SR-1 Freedom mission.

Credit: NASA Concept

As part of its reboot of the Artemis exploration campaign, NASA plans to demonstrate a nuclear fission reactor for propulsion beyond Earth orbit, a mission that includes a flyby of Mars to dispatch a trio of Ingenuity-class heli-copters to scout for subsurface ice. NASA aims to launch the Space...

Irene Klotz

Irene Klotz is Senior Space Editor for Aviation Week, based in Cape Canaveral. Before joining Aviation Week in 2017, Irene spent 25 years as a wire service reporter covering human and robotic spaceflight, commercial space, astronomy, science and technology for Reuters and United Press International.

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