Lockheed Martin on Wednesday won a contract to build a nuclear thermal rocket engine, a key technology long coveted by both NASA and the Pentagon that could dramatically speed up space travel and help humans get to Mars.
. If the company meets all the milestones, including the test flight, it will receive nearly $500 million, with half coming from NASA and half from DARPA.. Using today’s chemically fueled rockets, flights to the Red Planet could take seven months or more, potentially exposing astronauts to long periods of radiation. Having humans cooped up in confined spaces for months could also lead to mental health problems and disagreements among crew members.
In a statement, NASA said that nuclear propulsion “is a key capability on NASA’s road map to send astronauts to Mars. A nuclear-powered rocket would enable faster trips to the Red Planet, making missions less complex and safer for crew. This type of engine requires significantly less propellant than chemical rockets, so missions would be able to carry additional scientific equipment.
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