In 1959, NASA took over from the USAF, and the program entered a new phase dedicated to spaceflight applications. This eventually led to the Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application (NERVA ...

Could nuclear propulsion be the breakthrough that takes humans to Mars more efficiently? This deep dive explores the challenges of interplanetary travel, the limitations of current chemical and ...

Nuclear thermal propulsion offers efficient, quick travel, and can potentially shorten a journey to Mars by several months. Skip to main content. You are the owner of this article. Edit ...

The Space Race. How Nuclear Rockets Will Get Us To Mars and Beyond? Posted: June 3, 2025 | Last updated: June 3, 2025. Could nuclear rockets be the key to reaching Mars and beyond?

In the race to land the first humans on Mars, NASA is betting big on nuclear rocket engines to get its astronauts to the red planet. Earlier this year, the agency announced a partnership with the ...

Though likely more expensive, nuclear-based propulsion systems are the only way to make getting to Mars feasible, according to a Lockheed report from 2022. Advertisement ...

NASA’s manned mission to Mars would take seven months with the current technology we have for rockets. However, a nuclear-powered spacecraft could make that trek in just 45 days, according to ...

NASA and DARPA have chosen aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin to develop a spacecraft with a nuclear thermal rocket engine. Announced in January, the partnership — also including BWX ...

The nuclear-powered rocket would have other benefits beyond decreasing the length of the trip. For one, Mars and Earth only align on the same side of the sun every 26 months, writes the Washington ...

Nuclear power could, one day, take us to Mars in half the time of chemical fuels. Accounting for the time it'll take to build the engines, however, it seems chemicals still come out ahead for our ...