A “nuclear” plan for “NASA” .. Bezos and General Electric are part of it

With nuclear power losing popularity in most parts of the world, the sky was its destination, according to NASA plans for a space conquest.

The U.S. government is leveraging the expertise of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space project, General Electric’s Hitachi Nuclear Power Company, and other companies to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft that can travel faster and farther – to Mars and beyond.

The US Space Agency, NASA and the Department of Energy awarded 3 contracts, worth $ 5 million, to produce design concepts for a reactor that can be used to transport people and goods to Mars or push science missions to the far reaches of the solar system, the space agency said in a statement Tuesday, and this was reported by Bloomberg.

Companies involved in the effort include Defense contractors Lockheed Martin and Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, as well as drone maker General Atomics and BWX Technologies Inc, which makes nuclear fuel and components.

“These design contracts are an important step towards tangible reactor hardware that could one day power new missions and exciting discoveries,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Missions Directorate, in the communicated.

travel faster

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, nuclear propulsion systems are more efficient than standard chemical rockets, which means they promise faster travel for more ambitious, deeper space missions.

Nuclear power produces around 10% of the world’s electricity today, up from a peak of 18% in the mid-1990s.

Space travel technology could take several years to develop, and it could face significant hurdles. While nuclear power plants have been used for decades on submarines and aircraft carriers, placing one on an explosive missile presents significant risks.

The nuclear space effort comes amid a resurgence in alien activity, as the U.S. government explores Mars and plans the first manned mission to the moon in decades.

Meanwhile, billionaire-backed companies rush to market space tourism, Virgin Galactic completed a suborbital test flight on Sunday with founder Richard Branson on board. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos also plans to travel to space next week aboard a Blue Origin rocket.