Revolution in space: Nuclear drive planned for Mars missions!

Revolution in space: Nuclear drive planned for Mars missions!

On June 14, 2025, NASA and DARPA announced a promising project that could revolutionize space research. This project, known as Draco (Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations), aims to develop a new rocket drive with nuclear power that is intended to support future Mars missions. The drive, which corresponds to a usual upper level in its dimensions, will be equipped with an uranium -powered nuclear reactor and uses a fuel that contains up to 20% uranium compared to the normally used 5%.

The ambitious project is a result of the collaboration between the two organizations that have agreed to accelerate the development efforts. According to a report by Krone , the first start for 2027 was planned, but this date could be postponed indefinitely. The author and scientist Christian Mähr described the plans as "fantastic".

technological progress

Nuclear thermodynamics has the potential to significantly shorten the transit times in space, which is a significant advantage for astronauts to deep space missions. The advantage of a nuclear-thermal drive lies in efficiency, which is up to three times higher than conventional chemical drive technology. These drives generate extreme temperatures and use a feded nuclear reactor to heat hydrogen to about 2000 degrees Celsius, which enables exit speed of up to 9000 meters per second. The travel time for Mars could decrease to just one year instead of taking three years as previously planned, which also results in a reduction in radiation exposure for the astronauts. This would also offer more flexibility in mission drops and improve the energy supply by the reactor.

The Department of NASA, the Space Technology Mission Directorates, leads the technical development of nuclear thermal drive, while Darpa bears the overall responsibility for the program, including system integration and security monitoring.

global competition and challenges

The international efforts in the field of nuclear drive technologies are diverse. China and Russia also have plans for the use of nuclear drives in space, with China plans a nuclear moon base and Russia is working on a nuclear-electric spatial tractor. The European space agency ESA also researches these technologies. While the advantages are clear, reference must also be made to the challenges associated with the use of nuclear reactors in space, in particular the risks and possible safety concerns when transporting such systems.

In addition to the technical aspects, international regulation is also of great importance. Certain international agreements regulate the use of nuclear systems in space to ensure that security is maintained. Especially in view of possible false starts, the question of safe handling of nuclear drive systems must be clarified. The current space technology is determined by chemical drives that burn hydrogen and oxygen, but are inefficient for longer missions, which underlines the urgency of these developments.

Due to the progress in the nuclear drive technology, future mission concepts could be revolutionized for Mars. The goals of these new drive technologies include not only a faster journey, but also the possibility of increasing the scientific payload in missions and improving instrumentation and communication in space, such as the NASA project nasa emphasized.

With a clear view of the future, the two organizations plan to test the first nuclear thermal drive in space by 2027, which is a crucial step on the way to a manned Mars mission. Despite the challenges that can still be mastered, it is clear that this technology has the potential to expand and revolutionize our possibilities of interplanetarian trips.

For more information about nuclear drives in space travel and the associated technologies, also visit .