Nuclear-electric rocket propulsion could cut Mars round-trips down to a few months
Nuclear-electric propulsion may shorten Mars trips, thanks to SpaceNukes and Ad Astra's partnership.
Ad Astra Rocket Company and Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes) are collaborating to integrate advanced propulsion and power technologies. Ad Astra's VASIMR, a high-efficiency electric propulsion system, needs over 100 kilowatts for optimal performance, a requirement unmet by current space power systems. SpaceNukes' Kilopower reactor can potentially fill this gap with its ability to generate 10 kilowatts continuously.
SpaceNukes demonstrated its reactor technology in 2018, and the partnership aims to combine this with VASIMR to achieve both efficiency and adequate thrust. The Kilopower reactors are seen as pivotal to realizing the vision of rapid Mars transit missions, which could take merely a few months under ideal conditions, compared to the current year-long schedule.
While still in planning stages, the Ad Astra and SpaceNukes collaboration targets an orbital demonstration in the late 2020s. By the 2030s, they seek to commercialize a propulsion system that could transform space exploration, paving the way for faster and more efficient missions within the solar system.