DARPA to Test Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft Written 18 January 2022
Artist's rendering of a Bimodal Nuclear Thermal Transfer Vehicle "Copernicus" in LEO | Credit: John Frassanito & Associates/NASA; Wikipedia; Public Domain
Space News reported that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) plans to “send to orbit a spacecraft powered by a nuclear propulsion system.” The technology “could give the U.S. military an advantage over enemies by making satellites more maneuverable and less vulnerable to attack.” DARPA’s Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2025.
Full Story (Space News)