NASA will test nuclear rockets that will carry astronauts to Mars in record time

NASA has quickly revealed its plans to test nuclear rockets to send astronauts to Mars.

As the Guardian website reports, the agency announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with the US government’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) to send a nuclear thermal rocket engine into space by 2027 at the latest.

The project aims to develop an innovative propulsion system for space travel very different from the chemical systems that have prevailed since the modern rocket age began nearly a century ago.

“The use of a nuclear thermal rocket allows for a faster transit time, reducing the risk to astronauts,” NASA said in a press release.

“Reducing transit time is key for human missions to Mars, as longer journeys require more supplies and more robust systems.”

Nasa, which successfully tested the Artemis spacecraft, has hopes of landing humans on the red planet sometime in the 2030s as part of its Moon to Mars programme.

Using current technology, Nasa says, the 300m trip to Mars could take about seven months. Engineers don’t know how long it would take to use nuclear technology, but Bill Nelson, Nasa’s administrator, said it would allow spacecraft and people to travel into deep space at record speeds.

“With the help of this new technology, astronauts could travel to and from space faster than ever before,” Nelson said.

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