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Nuclear rockets could give NASA a faster route into deep space
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Solar panels have powered many orbiters, rovers and satellites, but their output falls off sharply in the outer solar system. Attention is therefore turning to nuclear-powered spacecraft as a way to reach destinations that lie beyond current capabilities.
Why solar power runs short
Solar panels have powered countless orbiters, rovers and satellites. The solar system is vast, however, and the Sun's light grows faint once a mission travels past Mars.
How nuclear propulsion differs
Nuclear-powered spacecraft take their energy from atomic reactions instead of burning chemical propellants or relying on sunlight. The reporting frames this shift as the reason the focus is moving toward such designs.
Open questions
- How much faster would a nuclear-powered spacecraft travel than a chemically fuelled one?