The agency is partnering with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in what is being called the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations, or DRACO, program.
NASA and DARPA announced a collaboration to demonstrate a working nuclear thermal rocket by 2027 with the goal of sending humans to Mars as quickly as possible.
NASA is partnering with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to demonstrate the use of a nuclear thermal rocket engine in space, the two agencies announced in a statement Tuesday.
NASA says they are testing the rocket engine with a plan to have an in-space demonstration by 2027. This technology could help astronauts travel to and from planets faster.