Concept art of a nuclear thermal propulsion system. (Image: USNC)
Ultra Safe Nuclear (USNC) announced on October 17 that it had been awarded a contract by NASA to develop and mature space nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) systems to advance the nation’s cislunar capabilities. Under the contract, USNC says it will manufacture and test proprietary fuel and simultaneously collaborate with its commercial partner, Blue Origin, to mature the design of an NTP engine optimized for near-term civil science and cislunar missions.
Building on DRACO: The work “will build on the foundation laid by NASA and DARPA’s DRACO demonstration,” according to USNC.
DRACO, the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, which is planned for launch in 2027, would be the first nuclear reactor to operate in space. It is a project of the Tactical Technology Office in the Defense Department’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) undertaken to advance the DOD’s national security objectives. NASA formally joined the effort in January 2023 because of DRACO’s relevance to civil space programs, and in July BWX Technologies was selected to supply the DRACO’s reactor and fuel.
“This next year is a critical and exciting time for NTP. While we’re optimistic about the hurdles the DRACO program will break through, NTP still needs significant development before it is ready to be deployed as part of a larger mission that moves real payloads in space. This next year will get us prepared for operational missions achieving higher performance after the DRACO demonstration,” said Vishal Patel, program manager for nuclear propulsion at USNC.
Not just fuel: This past summer, USNC delivered nuclear fuel particles to NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion (SNP) program. The latest contract will see USNC manufacture fuel assemblies for testing in prototypic conditions. In addition, USNC will also build and test critical safety systems for the NTP engine, a prerequisite for eventual testing of the integrated nuclear system at a Department of Energy site.
Vision of a space economy: According to USNC, “The development of a civil science mission is not just a government program they are subcontractors to, but a clear step on the company’s ambitions for NTP to be part of a robust space economy.”
“A civil science program with dedicated funding from NASA will ensure diverse approaches to the development of NTP and provide significant risk reduction,” said Paolo Venneri, executive vice president at Ultra Safe Nuclear Advanced Technologies. “Both cislunar and deep space science missions, like the ones being explored under this contract, will serve as steppingstones towards both commercial NTP capabilities and a future human mission to Mars.”
Ultra Safe Nuclear (USNC) announced October 17 that it had been awarded a contract by NASA to develop and mature space nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) systems to advance the nation’s cislunar capabilities. Under the contract, USNC says it will manufacture and test proprietary fuel and simultaneously collaborate with its commercial partner, Blue Origin, to mature the design of an NTP engine optimized for near-term civil science and cislunar missions.
