Rolls-Royce and British Space Agency work on nuclear-powered space engine

British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce has formed an unlikely alliance with the British Space Agency to develop engines for nuclear-powered spacecraft.

The collaboration will see the two organizations working together to explore the potential of nuclear power as a power source for future deep space expeditions.

If successful, a nuclear spacecraft could cut the travel time to Mars to just three to four months – about half the time possible with current chemical engines.

Additionally, reduced travel times would mean that astronauts aboard the spacecraft are exposed to less radiation during flight, making future trips to Mars or other planets safer.

If successful, a nuclear-powered spacecraft engine could cut the travel time to Mars to just three to four months – about half the time possible with current systems

Nuclear propulsion has already been described by NASA as “revolutionary technology for the exploration of deep space”.

It is about channeling the release of energy during the splitting of the atom to accelerate the thrusters to an enormous speed.

Rolls-Royce and the British Space Agency predict that this type of engine could be twice as efficient as the chemical engines currently used to propel rockets, cutting travel times in half.

Dr Graham Turnock, Managing Director of the UK Space Agency, said: ‘Space nuclear energy and propulsion is a revolutionary concept that could unlock future deep space missions that will take us to Mars and beyond. of the.

“This study will help us understand the exciting potential of atomic-powered spacecraft and determine whether this emerging technology could help us travel further and faster than ever in space.

A nuclear-powered engine could also make deep space travel safer for astronauts.

With travel times cut in half, astronauts would be exposed to a lower dose of radiation, which could protect them from both radiation sickness and cancer.

Rolls-Royce and the British Space Agency predict that this type of engine could be twice as efficient as the chemical engines currently used to propel rockets, cutting travel times in half.

“Space radiation can put astronauts at a significant risk of radiation sickness and a lifelong increased risk of cancer, central nervous system effects and degenerative diseases,” NASA explained.

Dave Gordon, UK Senior Vice President of Rolls-Royce Defense, said: “We are delighted to be working with the UK Space Agency on this pioneering project to define future nuclear energy technologies for space.

“We believe there is a real niche capacity in the UK in this area and this initiative can build on the UK’s strong nuclear grid and supply chain.

“We look forward to developing this and other exciting space projects in the future as we continue to develop the power to protect our planet, secure our world, and explore our universe.

The idea of ​​a nuclear powered spacecraft engine is not new.

NASA started a program in 1961 to develop a nuclear-powered engine, although the program was halted in 1972 due to reductions in the space budget.

Now, more than 45 years later, NASA is once again working on a nuclear thermal propulsion system (NTP).

“We are working on a first generation NTP system that has great growth potential,” said Doyce ‘Sonny’ Mitchell, NTP project manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

NASA’s timeline for the project remains unclear.

NASA plans to send manned mission to Mars in the 2030s after its first moon landing

Mars has become the next giant leap for mankind’s space exploration.

But before humans reach the Red Planet, the astronauts will take a series of baby steps as they return to the moon for a one-year mission.

Details of a lunar orbit mission have been unveiled as part of a timeline of events leading up to missions to Mars in the 2030s.

NASA outlined its four-step plan (pictured) which it hopes will one day allow humans to visit Mars during the Humans to Mars summit in Washington DC yesterday. This will involve multiple missions to the moon over the next few decades

In May 2017, Greg Williams, deputy associate administrator for policy and planning at NASA, presented the space agency’s four-step plan that he hopes will one day allow humans to visit Mars, as well. than its expected schedule.

Phase one and two will involve multiple trips into lunar space, to allow for the construction of habitat that will provide a staging area for the trip.

The last material delivered would be the true deep space transport vehicle that would later be used to transport a crew to Mars.

And a one-year simulation of life on Mars will be conducted in 2027.

Phases three and four will begin after 2030 and will involve sustained crew expeditions to the Martian system and the surface of Mars.