NASA and DARPA plan to launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Earth orbit in the next few years, to test propulsion technology that could get humanity to Mars.

In 2022, DARPA announced its goal of conducting an in-space flight demonstration of nuclear thermal propulsion in 2026. In January 2023, NASA and DARPA announced a partnership to test a nuclear ...

An artist's concept depicts the DRACO spacecraft, which will demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine. Nuclear thermal propulsion technology could be used for future NASA crewed missions to Mars.

NASA has revealed plans to create a nuclear-powered rocket that could send astronauts to Mars in just 45 days. The agency, which has partnered with the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research ...

Engineers say a nuclear thermal rocket could cut astronauts' travel time to Mars from nine months to two. Credit: NASA NASA and the U.S. military plan to test a nuclear-powered rocket engine in ...

While this latest test doesn’t make nuclear-powered rocket engines viable just yet, it’s an important step on the journey. This latest batch of tests was conducted at the compact fuel element ...

By Jackie Wattles, CNN A nuclear thermal rocket engine in development could one day transport humans to Mars. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a research arm of the US Department of ...

A nuclear thermal rocket engine in development could one day transport humans to Mars.

NASA says they are testing the rocket engine with a plan to have an in-space demonstration by 2027. This technology could help astronauts travel to and from planets faster.