This paper identifies breakpoints for various power and propulsion technologies, with a special focus on fission-based sources in support of NASA’s Mars exploration program. Transportation, orbital, and surface missions are addressed through an assessment architecture developed for this study. This architecture is based on three key considerations: decomposition of generic Mars missions into ph...

Radiation shielding analysis and development for the Nuclear Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (NCPS) effort is currently in progress and preliminary results have enabled consideration for critical interfaces in the reactor and propulsion stage systems. Early analyses have highlighted a number of engineering constraints, challenges, and possible mitigating solutions. Performance constraints include pe...

USNC-Technologies (USNC-Tech) is an advanced nuclear company focused on developing space power and propulsion systems to enable high-impact science missions the growth of a self-sustaining in-space economy. As subsidiary Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), USNC-Tech has leveraged technologies experience gains from design, licensing, deployment terrestrial gas-cooled reactors for these system...

An analysis is made of the synergism of electric propulsion and non-nuclear power for deep space applications (i.e., to the asteroid belt and beyond). In current generation systems, electric propulsion is usually considered to be impractical because of the lack of high power for deep space, and non-nuclear power is thought to be impractical partly due to its high mass. However, when taken in co...

Data on the development of nuclear power units for use in spacecraft—nuclear rocket engines and units—are presented. Information creation a reactor unit transport module based megawatt-class propulsion system is provided. The research results are presented, including modeling neutron physics, heat transfer, gas dynamics; testing full-scale mock-ups main assemblies unit; conducting control physi...