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This concept is said to be safer and more reliable than previous NTP designs and much more efficient than a chemical missile.
This technical solution could help achieve the goal of using nuclear propulsion for space travel, thus reducing travel time to Mars to just three months.
Because chemical missiles are already approaching theoretical limits and electrical propulsion from space is so low, missile engineers continue to search for ways to build more efficient and powerful engines using a particular variant of nuclear power.
With proper design, these nuclear missiles could use chemical diversity several times more efficiently. The problem is producing a nuclear reactor that is light and safe enough to be used outside of Earth’s atmosphere, especially if the spacecraft is manned.
The concept
© USNC-Tech
According to dr. Michael Eades, chief engineer at USNC-Tech, the new concept engine is more reliable than previous NTP designs and can generate twice the specific chemical impulse of the rocket. Specific impulse is a measure of the rocket’s efficiency.
To implement the idea, USNC-Tech uses fully ceramic microencapsulated (FCM) fuel to power the engine reactor. This fuel is made from highly enriched uranium (HALEU), which is derived from reprocessed civilian nuclear fuel and is 5-20% enriched. – more than civil reactors and less than naval reactors. The fuel is then encapsulated into zirconium carbide (ZrC) coated particles.
The company says that this fuel is much stronger than conventional nuclear fuel and can operate at high temperatures. This creates a safer, high-thrust, and specific impulse reactor design that was previously only available with highly enriched uranium. Additionally, these fuels can be produced with existing supply chains and manufacturing plants.
The new concept is expected to drastically shorten the time for long-range space missions, with the crew mission reaching Mars in just three months. Additionally, the concept is aimed at the commercial market, as well as NASA and the US Department of Defense, allowing for more ambitious private missions.
“The key to USNC-Tech’s design is a deliberate overlap between ground and space reactor technologies,” says Dr. Paolo Venneri, USNC-Tech CEO. “This allows us to take advantage of advances in nuclear technology and infrastructure for ground systems and adapt them to our space reactors.”
The project is part of a study conducted by Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) for the space agency on the NTP flight. USNC-Tech states that the concept was “designed to successfully demonstrate the system in the near future and reduce barriers to full implementation,” but implementation of this idea is probably a long way off.
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