DRACO Program

DRACO Program

News: NASA, in collaboration with DARPA, has selected Lockheed Martin to design and build a nuclear-powered propulsion system for DRACO program.

What is DRACO program?
• DRACO stands for Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations.
• The goal of the DRACO program is to demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) in orbit. NTRs use a nuclear reactor to heat propellant to extreme temperatures before exhausting the hot propellant through a nozzle to produce thrust. Compared to conventional space propulsion technologies, NTRs offers a high thrust-to-weight ratio around 10,000 times greater than electric propulsion and two-to-five times greater specific impulse (i.e. propellant efficiency) than in-space chemical propulsion.
• It aims to leverage nuclear reactions to significantly reduce travel time, making interplanetary missions more efficient and safer.
• The spacecraft will orbit at an altitude of approximately 700 to 1,994 kilometers, staying in orbit for over 300 years to ensure safe decay of radioactive elements.

Advantages of DRACO program:
• With nuclear-powered propulsion, astronauts could reach Mars in just three to four months, cutting the current travel time in half.
• Nuclear reactions, using the splitting of uranium atoms, are far more efficient than conventional rocket engines that rely on fuel combustion.
• Faster journeys to Mars would minimize astronauts’ exposure to the harsh environment of deep space, reducing potential risks and health hazards.
• Unlike earlier nuclear propulsion projects, DRACO uses a less-enriched form of uranium and incorporates advanced safety protocols. The reactor will only be activated in space to minimize the risk of a radioactive accident on Earth.