Nuclear rocket could slash mission times to Mars
New nuclear discovery could radically change space travel
- Scientists at Ohio State University have developed a new centrifugal nuclear thermal rocket (CNTR) system.
- This innovative propulsion method uses liquid uranium to directly heat rocket propellant, making it more efficient than current technologies.
- The CNTR system could significantly reduce human mission times to Mars from approximately three years to just one year.
- The technology, partly funded by NASA, also promises to enable robotic missions to outer planets and could utilise propellants like methane mined from asteroids.
- While several technical challenges remain, researchers anticipate five years for testing and are calling for increased funding for nuclear propulsion research.