FASTER? PLEASE! After More Than 60 Years Of Development, Here Is The Nuclear Engine That Is Set To Go To Mars With NASA.

For decades, NASA has been working on an engine that is faster and more efficient than traditional chemical propulsion. One of the most serious avenues is nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP). How does this work? Heat a gas, usually hydrogen, in a nuclear reactor, then expel it at high speed to generate a much more powerful thrust. With this system, Mars could be reached in just 45 days. General Atomics, a key player in nuclear research, has just announced a major breakthrough in this technology. Scott Forney, President of GA-EMS, is delighted with the latest tests: We are very encouraged by these positive results proving that the fuel can survive these operating conditions, bringing us closer to the realisation of safe and reliable nuclear thermal propulsion for cislunar and deep space missions.

The DRACO programme, piloted by NASA and DARPA, plans to demonstrate an NTP engine as early as 2027. But the challenges remain: ultra-resistant materials, heat management in space and, above all, astronaut safety in the face of an on-board nuclear reactor. Meanwhile, SpaceX continues to make progress on the chemical propulsion front with its Starship rocket, designed for interplanetary missions. Elon Musk still has a head start on reusable launchers, but if nuclear propulsion becomes viable, he could well find himself facing unexpected competition. What’s more, with the rise of China, which is aiming for a manned mission to Mars by 2033, the duel with the United States looks set to be fierce. And this time, it’s hard to predict who will get there first.

It’s less about who gets there first and more about who can get there most often, and with enough gear to establish a permanent presence.

But first is good, too.

UPDATE (AND BUMPED): Not so fast…: Some parts of Trump’s proposed budget for NASA are literally draconian.

New details of the Trump administration’s plans for NASA, released Friday, revealed the White House’s desire to end the development of an experimental nuclear thermal rocket engine that could have shown a new way of exploring the Solar System.

Trump’s NASA budget request is rife with spending cuts. Overall, the White House proposes reducing NASA’s budget by about 24 percent, from $24.8 billion this year to $18.8 billion in fiscal year 2026. In previous stories, Ars has covered many of the programs impacted by the proposed cuts, which would cancel the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft and terminate numerous robotic science missions, including the Mars Sample Return, probes to Venus, and future space telescopes.

Instead, the leftover funding for NASA’s human exploration program would go toward supporting commercial projects to land on the Moon and Mars.

NASA’s initiatives to pioneer next-generation space technologies are also hit hard in the White House’s budget proposal. If the Trump administration gets its way, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, or STMD, will see its budget cut nearly in half, from $1.1 billion to $568 million.

What a shame. There is plenty of fat to trim, including at NASA and particularly SLS. But exotic tech like DRACO is the kind of thing NASA could and should do.

When Blue Origin CEO said last week that NASA should focus on “really exotic missions,” I believe this is the kind of thing he was talking about.

Glenn added, “I agree” the other day, and so do I.