SatNews

Satellite Industry Intelligence Since 1983

General Atomics completes Nuclear Thermal Propulsion system design + test milestone

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has completed major milestones for the Track A, Phase 1 Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program.

Under contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), GA-EMS delivered a baseline design of a DRACO Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) reactor and engine and successfully tested key components of the nuclear reactor, including the vitally important high-temperature fuel elements in prototypic conditions at the NASA Nuclear Thermal Element Environmental Simulator (NTREES). The NTP system is intended to allow a nuclear thermal rocket to operate in cislunar space, the region between the Earth and the Moon.

Artistic rendition of the Nuclear Thermal Propulsion concept, courtesy of GA-EMS.

“We have leveraged our expertise in nuclear and space system technologies to design an NTP system and test the vital components of that system to confirm they will withstand the relevant design conditions,” said Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “Unlike electric and chemical propulsion technologies in use today, NTP propulsive capabilities can achieve two to three times the propellant mass efficiency, which is critically important for cislunar missions.”

“The cislunar space domain is essential to our national defense, modern commerce, and scientific discovery. As opportunities in cislunar space continue to expand, more innovative propulsion technologies to access space are increasingly necessary,” said Dr. Christina Back, vice president of Nuclear Technologies and Materials at GA-EMS.

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) can help enable detailed exploration of the solar system, be it enhancing operations in cislunar space, shaping robust human Mars mission plans or a variety of outer planet space science endeavors.
Credits: NASA

About General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Group is a global leader in the research, design, and manufacture of first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems. GA-EMS’ history of research, development, and technology innovation has led to an expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions supporting aviation, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and processing and monitoring applications for critical defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide.