NASA Plans 2028 Test of Nuclear Electric Rocket for Mars Mission

NASA plans to test a nuclear electric rocket in 2028 that would carry three helicopters to Mars. The spacecraft, named Space Reactor-1 Freedom, is intended to reduce travel time compared with conventional chemical rockets. The helicopters, called Skyfall, would scout landing sites for future crewed missions once they reach the surface.

The concept builds on the Ingenuity helicopter that flew with the Perseverance rover in 2021.

Freedom ionizes xenon propellant with electricity generated by a nuclear reactor. The system produces steady thrust that accelerates the spacecraft over time. The spacecraft would be launched by a conventional rocket before activating its nuclear electric engine.

NASA has previously flown solar electric propulsion on the Psyche mission, now en route to asteroid 16 Psyche. Nuclear power offers an advantage for deep-space missions where sunlight is weaker. NASA has studied nuclear propulsion since the 1960s, including the NERVA nuclear thermal rocket program that conducted ground tests before cancellation in the early 1970s.

U.S. efforts such as Timberwind in the late 1980s and early 1990s remained in the conceptual stage. Space Reactor-1 Freedom is described as a prototype that would take about one year to reach Mars, according to Space News. More powerful versions could shorten the trip to two or three months. The mission was included in the Ignition announcement released by NASA in March.