Rolls-Royce and UK Space Agency work together to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft engines that can take us to Mars in just three months
- The companies will explore the potential of nuclear power as an energy source
- A nuclear-powered spacecraft engine could halve travel times to Mars
- They can also reduce the dose of radiation used by astronauts
The British aircraft manufacturer Rolls-Royce has formed an unlikely alliance with the UK Space Agency to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft engines.
The two organizations will work together to explore the potential of nuclear power as a source of energy for future expeditions into deep space.
If successful, a nuclear spacecraft could shorten its journey to Mars to just three to four months – about half the time possible by using current chemical engines.
What’s more, the shortened travel times would mean that astronauts aboard the spacecraft would be exposed to less radiation during the flight, which would make future trips to Mars or other planets safer.
If successful, a nuclear-powered spacecraft engine time could shorten the travel time to Mars to just three to four months – about half the possible time using current systems
Nuclear propulsion was previously described by NASA as a ‘game-changing technology for deep space exploration’.
It involves channeling the energy release by splitting the atom to accelerate high-speed propellants.
Rolls-Royce and the UK Space Agency predict that this type of engine could be twice as efficient as the chemical engines currently used to propel rockets, halving travel times.
Dr Graham Turnock, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: ‘Space nuclear power and propulsion is a game-changing concept that could unlock future deep-space missions that will take us to Mars and beyond.
“This study will help us understand the exciting potential of atomic-powered spacecraft and whether this emerging technology can help us travel through space faster than ever before.”
A nuclear-powered engine can also make space travel safer for astronauts.
With half a travel time, astronauts would be exposed to a lower dose of radiation, which could protect them from radiation sickness and cancer.
Rolls-Royce and the UK Space Agency predict that this type of engine could be twice as efficient as the chemical engines currently used to propel rockets, halving travel times.
“Space radiation can put astronauts at significant risk for radiation sickness and increased lifelong risk for cancer, central nervous system effects and degenerative diseases,” NASA explained.
Dave Gordon, UK Senior Vice President Rolls-Royce Defense, said: ‘We are excited to be working with the UK Space Agency on this groundbreaking project to define future space nuclear technologies.
‘We believe there is a true UK niche capability in this area, and this initiative can build on the strong UK core network and supply chain.
“We look forward to developing these 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 launched a program in 1961 to develop an engine-powered engine, although the program was discontinued in 1972 due to cuts in the space budget.
Now, more than 45 years later, NASA is once again working on an NTP (Nuclear Thermal Propulsion) system.
“We are working on a first-generation NTP system with great growth potential,” said Doyce ‘Sonny’ Mitchell, manager of the NTP project at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
Nasa’s timeline for the project remains unclear.
NASA plans to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s after first landing on the Moon
Mars has become the next giant leap for humanity’s exploration of space.
But before humans reach the red planet, astronauts will take a series of small steps by returning to the moon for a year-long mission.
Details of the mission in an orbit around the moon were revealed as part of a timeline of events that led to missions to Mars in the 2030s.
Nasa has outlined its four-stage plan (photo) which it hopes people will one day be able to visit Mars during the Humans to Mars summit held in Washington DC yesterday. This will bring several missions to the moon in the coming decades
In May 2017, Greg Williams, deputy administrator for policy and plans at Nasa, outlined the space agency’s four-phase plan, which he hopes people will one day be able to visit Mars, as well as the expected time frame.
Phase one and two will involve several trips to the lunar space, to enable the construction of a habitat that will provide a scene area for the trip.
The last piece of hardware delivered would be the actual Deep Space Transport vehicle that would later be used to transport a crew to Mars.
And a year-long simulation of life on Mars will be done in 2027.
Phases three and four begin after 2030 and will involve continued crew missions to the Martian system and the surface of Mars.