Spaceships with nuclear engines

The future is approaching where spacecraft are powered by nuclear energy, that reality is closer than we think, the United States Air Force research laboratory has taken a big step in that direction by closing a contract for 33 million dollars with Lockheed Martin.

The goal is to accelerate the development of propulsion and nuclear energy technologies for spacecraft. This ambitious project is part of several programs that seek to mature high-power technologies for the next generation of nuclear-powered spacecraft.

The United States government is investing heavily in military space technologies, both for civilian and commercial use, and Lockheed Martin believes that these advances will play a crucial role in the future of military operations outside of Earth, currently the company is already participating in three key nuclear spacecraft programs working hand in hand with different government agencies and with the United States resuming its plans to return to the moon and explore Mars these projects are aimed at satisfying very different needs such as efficient means of transportation in space and solutions sustainable energy for future lunar bases.

Although the initial focus is on civil and commercial applications, military interest in these technologies is growing, especially missions that require maintenance, mobility and logistics in space, as explained by Jeff Schreder, vice president of Lockheed Martin. According to him, nuclear-powered ships can offer a decisive strategic advantage, such as greater maneuverability and a much longer service life compared to traditional satellites that are limited by fuel and batteries.

One of the great highlights of the Jetson program is the development of a fission reactor that will be activated in space, this reactor will generate heat that will be converted into electricity through Stirling energy converters, all this energy will be able to power the systems of the spacecraft or be used for electric propulsion.

This technology is an evolution of the Kilopower reactor that was already successfully tested by NASA in 2018 and that is not all, other contracts have also been signed with innovative companies in the field of space nuclear propulsion, the startup Intuitive Machines from Houston by For example, he received $9 million to develop a spacecraft concept based on radioisotope energy.

In July, Lockheed Martin would have already achieved a significant milestone by being selected by NASA and the United States Department of Defense to develop a spacecraft that will test nuclear thermal propulsion in space through of the Draco project, with these new contracts and advances Lockheed Martin is consolidating its leadership position in the field of space nuclear energy, demonstrating that these technologies have enormous potential not only for civil space exploration but also for military applications.

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