Following the first phase of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program, Lockheed Martin was notified by DARPA that the company won the contract to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft. The project will represent a rapid advancement in propulsion technology to benefit exploration and national defense.

DARPA partnered with NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate on the DRACO project, as both agencies will benefit from this leading edge technology.

“This is a prime technology that can be used to transport humans and materials to the Moon,” said Kirk Shireman, vice president of Lunar Exploration Campaigns at Lockheed Martin Space. “A safe, reusable nuclear tug spacecraft would revolutionize cislunar operations. With more speed, agility and maneuverability, nuclear thermal propulsion also has many national security applications for cislunar space.”

In addition Lockheed Martin’s long history and expertise in nuclear controls, the company announced a partnership with BWX Technologies on DRACO to develop the nuclear reactor and produce the special high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, fuel. The in-space flight demo of the nuclear thermal rocket engine vehicle is slated to launch no later than 2027.

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