Nuclear Reactor Test Requirements Put DRACO Launch Plans On Hold

spacecraft on-orbit

The DARPA-NASA nuclear thermal propulsion project is extending its time frame for an on-orbit demonstration.

Credit: Lockheed Martin
A vision to accelerate U.S. access to cislunar space and the wider Solar System through a landmark demonstration of nuclear thermal propulsion technology must wait. The 2027 launch date for the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) is on indefinite hold. Since initiating the...
Vivienne Machi

Vivienne Machi is the military space editor for Aviation Week based in Los Angeles.

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