Lockheed Martin Selected to Develop Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft

Lockheed Martin Selected to Develop Nuclear-Powered SpacecraftDARPA and NASA's Joint DRACO Project Technology Will Help Enable Humans to Travel to MarsDENVER, July 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has won a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft under a project called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). Reducing transit time is vital for human missions to Mars to limit a crew's exposure to radiation," said Kirk Shireman, vice president of Lunar Exploration Campaigns at Lockheed Martin Space. Lockheed Martin has partnered with BWX Technologies to develop the nuclear reactor and produce the HALEU fuel. Lockheed Martin has also invested heavily in cryogenic hydrogen storage and transfer. SOURCE Lockheed Martin