Filter by tags: Outer space United States Air Force Clear all tag filters
7 news articles found
?US Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes) has teamed with Lockheed Martin Corporation and BWX Technologies for participation in the Space Force/Air Force Joint Emergent Technology Supplying On-orbit Nuclear Power (JETSON) project. This is part of an Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate programme.
- Source: NEI Magazine
- Date: Thursday, 26 October 2023
- Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsspacenukes-partnership-wins-contract-to-develop-reactors-for-space-vehicles-11242893
The US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is advancing two different approaches to accelerate ground and flight testing for nuclear-powered prototypes: compact fusion and next-gen radioisotope concepts. The ultimate objective is to launch a successful orbital prototype demonstration in 2027 of each approach.
- Source: NEI Magazine
- Date: Friday, 20 May 2022
- Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsus-looks-at-nuclear-propulsion-for-space-travel-in-2027-9711167
The US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has awarded contracts to Ultra Safe Nuclear Technologies and Avalanche Energy to demonstrate the next generation of nuclear propulsion and power capability for small spacecraft.
- Source: World Nuclear News
- Date: Thursday, 19 May 2022
- Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Contracts-to-demo-novel-space-propulsion-technolog
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) said on 12 April that it had awarded contracts for the first phase of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (Draco) programme. The three prime contractors are General Atomics, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin. Darpa previously announced an award of $22 million to General Atomics to design a small nuclear reactor for space propulsion under the Draco) project.
- Source: NEI Magazine
- Date: Friday, 16 April 2021
- Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsus-solicits-designs-for-nuclear-powered-spacecraft-8673015
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded contracts for the first phase of its Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) programme to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system above low Earth orbit in 2025. General Atomics will carry out reactor development work, while Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin will develop spacecraft concept designs.
- Source: World Nuclear News
- Date: Wednesday, 14 April 2021
- Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Companies-contracted-to-develop-US-space-nuclear-p
The Kilopower technology was developed at the laboratory in partnership with NASA and the National Nuclear Security Administration. Patrick McClure, who served as project lead for Kilopower at Los Alamos and is now a partner in SpaceNukes, said that by creating a new company, Kilopower’s founders are hoping to be able to reach potential new sponsors “who will want to take this technology to the next level and put it into space”.
Kilopower is a small, lightweight fission power system capable of providing various ranges of power depending on the need. For example, SpaceNukes offers low-kilowatt reactors to power deep space missions, middle-range reactors in the tens of kilowatts to power a lunar or martian habitat, and much larger reactors in the hundreds of kilowatts that could make enough propellant for a rocket to return to Earth after a stay on Mars.
- Source: Nucnet
- Date: Saturday, 07 November 2020
- Original article: nucnet.org/news/new-us-company-to-develop-los-alamos-kilopower-reactor-11-5-2020
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has agreed to license Kilopower space reactor technology to New Mexico company Space Nuclear Power Corporation (SpaceNukes), which aims to commercialise the technology for use in space in the next few years.
- Source: World Nuclear News
- Date: Saturday, 07 November 2020
- Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Los-Alamos-spin-off-to-commercialise-space-reactor