NASA will run tests of a nuclear rocket engine that might send people to Mars in 45 days

In collaboration with the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has unveiled plans to develop a nuclear-powered rocket that could deliver astronauts to Mars in just 45 days.

According to the agency, this newly proposed nuclear system would use a nuclear fission reactor that is “three or more times more efficient” than NASA’s current rocket systems and might cut the current seven-month trip duration to Mars in half.

“NASA has a long history of collaborating with DARPA on projects that enable our respective missions, such as in-space servicing,” declared NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. 

“Expanding our partnership to nuclear propulsion will help drive forward NASA’s goal to send humans to Mars,” she explained.

In the context of NASA’s Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application and Rover programs, the last nuclear thermal rocket engine tests carried out in the United States took place more than 50 years ago.

For numerous programs to harvest power for space exploration, NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) are also developing advanced space nuclear technology.