/sci/ - Science & Math

>Locksneed Martin Jets into Nuclear Electrical Spacecraft Power
>Hot off the heels of the DRACO announcement in July 2023, Lockheed Martin was awarded $33.7 million from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) for the Joint Emergent Technology Supplying On-Orbit Nuclear (JETSON) High Power program to mature high-power nuclear electric power and propulsion technologies and spacecraft design. The JETSON effort is now in the preliminary design review stage, with the option to go to critical design review level.
>With Space Nuclear Power Corp (SpaceNukes) and BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT) as our partners – both of whom carry deep expertise in nuclear power and reactor design – our JETSON team will address the escalating need for advanced spacecraft mobility, situational awareness, and power generation that far surpasses traditional spacecraft capabilities. Providing both on-board electrical power and the ability to power electric propulsion Hall thrusters used on Lockheed Martin’s LM2100 satellites, JETSON serves as a critical step forward in using nuclear electric propulsion to get humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
>“Nuclear fission development for space applications is key to introducing technologies that could dramatically change how we move and explore in the vastness of space,” said Barry Miles, JETSON program manager and principal investigator, at Lockheed Martin. “From high-power electrical subsystem and electric propulsion, to nuclear thermal propulsion or fission surface power, Lockheed Martin is focused on developing these systems with our important government agencies and industry partners.”

https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/2023/lockheed-martin-jets-into-nuclear-electrical-spacecraft-power.html