On the 26th of July 2023, NASA hosted a media teleconference to provide an update on its DRACO (Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations) nuclear rocket development program with representatives from Lockheed Martin and BWX Technologies. The DRACO program is a joint venture with DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) with both agencies providing just under $250 million in funding each. The program currently aims for an in-space demonstration of the nuclear thermal rocket engine no later than 2027.
Why fund DRACO?
NASA has made its interests clear for wanting a nuclear thermal rocket engine and in a press release at the start of the year stated the following;
"Using a nuclear thermal rocket allows for faster transit time, reducing risk for astronauts. Reducing transit time is a key component for human missions to Mars, as longer trips require more supplies and more robust systems. Maturing faster, more efficient transportation technology will help NASA meet its Moon to Mars Objectives. Other benefits to space travel include increased science payload capacity and higher power for instrumentation and communication. In a nuclear thermal rocket engine, a fission reactor is used to generate extremely high temperatures. The engine transfers the heat produced by the reactor to a liquid propellant, which is expanded and exhausted through a nozzle to propel the spacecraft. Nuclear thermal rockets can be three or more times more efficient than conventional chemical propulsion."
DARPA's interests in nuclear rocket engines are less known currently but are presumed to be for use on military spacecraft and US space-based infrastructure but has said the following;
"The space domain is essential to modern commerce, scientific discovery, and national defense. Moving larger payloads into farther locations in cislunar space – the volume of space between the Earth and the Moon – will require a leap-ahead in propulsion technology."
Who is building DRACO?
Lockheed Martin is the prime contractor for the design, build, and testing of the DRACO spacecraft in collaboration with BWX Technologies. BWX Technologies is working on the nuclear reactor of the engine for the spacecraft and will be designed to be safe and reliable using High Assay Low Enriched Uranium, or HALEU, fuel to heat the liquid hydrogen of the spacecraft. Joe Miller, BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC president, said the following about working on the program;
"In the past several years, BWXT has been maturing its nuclear thermal propulsion fuel and design, and we are excited to further expand into space with our ability to deliver nuclear products and capabilities to the U.S. Government, -" "We look forward to building the reactor and manufacturing the fuel at our Lynchburg, Virginia, facilities."
How safe is DRACO?
During the media teleconference, it was stated that the reactor would not be turned on while on Earth and would be inert during launch, and will be designed to avoid reactor criticality during launch and after in the case of a failure. It was also stated that the reactor would not be turned on until in a nuclear-safe orbit and would wait for the reactor to decay before spacecraft disposal. The spacecraft is currently expected to have 2000 kilograms of liquid hydrogen and 100 kilograms of reactor fuel.
For launch, the United States Space Force will provide the launch and launch site support with it being treated as a national security payload. The launch is currently being targeted for late 2025 or early 2026 and won't need a heavy-lift rocket and will fit in a standard fairing, such as SpaceX's Falcon 9 or United Launch Alliance's Vulcan.