NASA wants to launch a nuclear-powered rocket into space in 2027

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed plans to launch a rocket equipped with a nuclear engine. It will fly in the second half of this decade.

Here's What We Know

The space agency says the rocket launch will not threaten the people of Earth. The nuclear propulsion system will be disabled during the launch. It will only start working when the rocket has moved a safe distance from our planet's surface.

NASA is cooperating with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA) of the US Department of Defense to realize the project. The launch of the rocket is scheduled for 2027. It will use a prototype engine with a thrust of approximately 10,000 tonnes. In comparison, the 33 Raptor V3 engines in the Super Heavy rocket will produce less than 9,000 tonnes of thrust.

The last time a nuclear fission system was in space was in the spring of 1965. The SNAPSHOT programme launched the American Experimental Satellite SNAP-10A, which was equipped with a nuclear propulsion system.

Source: WCCFTech