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New fuel withstands nuclear thermal propulsion reactor conditions
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) has successfully tested the nuclear fuel that may one day propel and power the spacecraft of the future. The trials verify that the fuel can survive the harsh environment of a nuclear rocket reactor.
According to Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, the recent tests carried out at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama have proven that the latest fuel can survive without erosion or degradation at operational temperatures. "We’ve also conducted tests in a non-hydrogen environment at our GA-EMS laboratory, which confirmed the fuel performed exceptionally well at temperatures up to 3,000 °K (4,940 °F, 2,726 °C), which would enable the NTP system to be two-to-three times more efficient than conventional chemical rocket engines. We are excited to continue our collaboration with NASA as we mature and test the fuel to meet the performance requirements for future cislunar and Mars mission architectures."
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