The DRACO program plans to test a prototype nuclear thermal rocket in space as early as 2027, marking a significant milestone ...

An alternative technology to the chemically propelled rockets the agency develops now is called nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses nuclear fission and could one day power a rocket that makes ...

NASA's nuclear propulsion breakthrough promises Mars trips in 45 days. Combining nuclear and plasma systems boosts efficiency ...

NASA said nuclear thermal rockets can be three or more times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion and would reduce transit time, essential for an eventual mission to Mars.

There are several mega-rockets already being developed that ... to develop and demonstrate advanced nuclear thermal propulsion technology as soon as 2027," said Nasa boss Bill Nelson.

But for now, he says, there are other better options, such as nuclear thermal electric propulsion. Another idea is to use chemical rockets to lift off from Earth and to land on Mars. But for the ...

Nuclear thermal propulsion is not a new idea for rockets — the concept was first tested in the 60s. It relies on using a nuclear reactor to heat a liquid propellant such as hydrogen. That heat ...

Scientists have thought about attaching nuclear, thermal-rocket engines to ammonia-heavy asteroids and redirecting the asteroids so that they crash into Mars and release the meteor's ammonia and ...

KUSHIMOTO, Wakayama Prefecture--A site originally envisaged for a nuclear power plant is now on course to become the nation’s first private-sector launch pad for small rockets. The launch pad ...