Nuclear thermal propulsion and the rotating detonation rocket are two new engine technologies NASA hopes to use to get to Mars and further.
To Mars, nuclear rockets can cut the time in half. And for in-space propulsion, NASA demonstrates a fast-speed rotating detonation rocket.
NASA takes its first steps toward establishing a long-term presence on the Moon’s surface, a team of propulsion development engineers at NASA have developed and tested NASA’s first full-scale rotating detonation rocket engine, or RDRE, an advanced rocket engine design that could significantly change how future propulsion systems are built.
The RDRE differs from a traditional rocket engine by generating thrust using a supersonic combustion phenomenon known as a detonation. This design produces more power while using less fuel than today’s propulsion systems and has the potential to power both human landers and interplanetary vehicles to deep space destinations, such as the Moon and Mars.
Mars is the second smallest planet in our solar system and the fourth planet from the sun. It is a dusty, cold, desert world with a very thin atmosphere. Iron oxide is prevalent in Mars’ surface resulting in its reddish color and its nickname “The Red Planet.” Mars’ name comes from the Roman god of war.
NASA announced that its engineers have developed and tested the agency’s first full-scale rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE).
The agency said that the design could significantly change how future propulsion systems are built. The supersonic rocket engine uses detonation, with the design producing more power while using less fuel than today’s propulsion systems.
It has the potential to power both human landers and interplanetary vehicles to deep space destinations, like the moon or Mars.
A revolutionary new form of rocket has just been tested by NASA. Called RDRE, this new propulsion device could make long-term Moon missions viable.
NASA’s propulsion development engineers have built and tested the agency’s first full-scale rotating detonation rocket engine, or RDRE for short. This advanced rocket engine design could change how propulsion systems are built in the future in a big way.
NASA’s plan for a long-term presence on the Moon is called the Artemis program. The program’s goal is to set up a stable way to explore the Moon by the decade’s end.
Nuclear thermal rocket engines could help get astronauts to Mars more quickly than by chemical propulsion methods. NASA and DARPA are working on nuclear thermal propulsion tech that they hope to test as soon as 2027.
The space tech startup, AstroForge, hopes to complete two proof-of-concept missions this year using SpaceX rockets.
In what might be a groundbreaking moment in space industry history, a new startup plans to launch not one but two space missions this year. This might not sound like a big deal, but the company wants to go into space to find and use minerals from asteroids and other deep-space objects.
With the potentially infinite worth of valuable materials in deep space, asteroid mining startup AstroForge hopes its endeavors will pay off. If successful, this could result in a very healthy return.
