IGNITION!!

[brovane]

Big announcements from NASA today around the Artemis program and a change in strategy.

Isaacman isn't messing around. Now we have to wait and see how Congress reacts.

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa- ... ce-policy/

https://www.nasa.gov/ignition/

NASA is seeking information from established commercial providers and new industry entrants to help shape a future acquisition strategy for commercial human lunar transportation services capable of supporting a permanent, continuously crewed U.S. lunar base. This Request for Information responds directly to the December 2025 Executive Order, “Ensuring American Space Superiority,” which mandates rapid expansion of U.S. lunar capabilities, increased mission cadence, commercial partnership, and resilient cislunar infrastructure. NASA invites responses focusing on architectures that can support high‑tempo human transportation, logistics resupply, and crew rotation tempo required for lunar base operations. Proposed systems must be capable of rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking with existing human landing system (HLS) providers, while also demonstrating a credible evolution path to meet future Artemis architecture needs. Optional expanded capabilities may be proposed, provided they remain secondary to the core human‑transport mission.

The RFI seeks detailed input across technical, programmatic, and business case considerations, including transportation architecture concepts, scalable launch cadence, staging orbits, autonomous operations, interoperability with current and future Artemis elements, and approaches to human‑rating, safety, and certification. NASA also requests insight regarding manufacturing scalability, reuse strategies, demonstration plans, milestone‑based development, and projected cost structures aligned with future Firm‑Fixed‑Price service acquisition. NASA welcomes input from incumbent providers that evolve existing systems to increase cadence, reduce cost, and accelerate readiness, and transition toward commercially sustainable human space transport capabilities. Industry is asked to describe market synergies, non‑NASA customers, domestic sourcing, teaming strategies, and how proposed solutions leverage or benefit NASA Centers. Responses will inform NASA’s long‑term strategy to transition from government‑driven missions to a commercially sustained lunar transportation ecosystem that ensures U.S. leadership and operational freedom in the cislunar domain.

If that wasn't enough NASA is planning to re-purpose the Gateway Propulsion and Power element and send a nuclear powered probe to mars using nuclear electric propulsion as part of a path-finder.

America underway on nuclear power in space

In addition to these scientific missions, after decades of study and in response to the National Space Policy, NASA announced a major step forward in bringing nuclear power and propulsion from the lab to space.

NASA will launch the Space Reactor‑1 Freedom, the first nuclear powered interplanetary spacecraft, to Mars before the end of 2028, demonstrating advanced nuclear electric propulsion in deep space. Nuclear electric propulsion provides an extraordinary capability for efficient mass transport in deep space and enables high power missions beyond Jupiter where solar arrays are not effective.

When SR-1 Freedom reaches Mars, it will deploy the Skyfall payload of Ingenuity‑class helicopters to continue exploring the Red Planet. SR-1 Freedom will establish flight heritage nuclear hardware, set regulatory and launch precedent, and activate the industrial base for future fission power systems across propulsion, surface, and long‑duration missions. NASA and its U.S. Department of Energy partner will unlock the capabilities required for sustained exploration beyond the Moon and eventual journeys to Mars and the outer solar system.

[Demon Lord Razgriz]

I'll believe it when I see it.

A fully operational nuclear-powered spacecraft in 2 years? Unless the USAF's been operating a fleet of interstellar battlecarriers, I don't see that happening any time soon. Odds are, it was meant to be 2038, but then someone high up said 2028 and the govt, being the govt, refuses to admit a mistake.

[brovane]

I'll believe it when I see it.

A fully operational nuclear-powered spacecraft in 2 years? Unless the USAF's been operating a fleet of interstellar battlecarriers, I don't see that happening any time soon. Odds are, it was meant to be 2038, but then someone high up said 2028 and the govt, being the govt, refuses to admit a mistake.

I had the same thought about the nuclear powered spacecraft until I looked deeper. They are repurposing the PPE (Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element) by adding a nuclear reactor to it. They are even keeping the solar panels on the PPE. The nuclear reactor will supplement the Solar Panel since it is intended to act as a pathfinder on this mission. Is it a aggressive timeline, yes. Is it doable because of the already built hardware that exists, yes.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/03 ... mars-2028/

[Belushi TD]

Ok, this is pretty cool, assuming they're able to meet the schedule.

Cue the greenies complaining about NUKES IN SPAAAAACE!!!!

However, I am vaguely disappointed because I thought it was going to be about the book, IGNITION! by John Clark.

https://library.sciencemadness.org/libr ... nition.pdf

That link should lead you to the downloadable PDF.

Its not in print, and unavailable, so I do not believe the copyright is being violated. One of the best books on the early rocketry programs as well as commercial chemistry out there.

Belushi TD

[Demon Lord Razgriz]

I'll believe it when I see it.

A fully operational nuclear-powered spacecraft in 2 years? Unless the USAF's been operating a fleet of interstellar battlecarriers, I don't see that happening any time soon. Odds are, it was meant to be 2038, but then someone high up said 2028 and the govt, being the govt, refuses to admit a mistake.

I had the same thought about the nuclear powered spacecraft until I looked deeper. They are repurposing the PPE (Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element) by adding a nuclear reactor to it. They are even keeping the solar panels on the PPE. The nuclear reactor will supplement the Solar Panel since it is intended to act as a pathfinder on this mission. Is it a aggressive timeline, yes. Is it doable because of the already built hardware that exists, yes.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/03 ... mars-2028/

The issue is still there, designing, building, testing, & certifying a nuclear reactor light enough to be launched, plus the required cooling it'll need? In 2 years? We can't even get an upper-stage built in that time(EUS, look it up), and with a nuclear reactor, you can't do the SpaceX thing and just blow up multiple prototypes til one works. Well, you could, but then the Greenies would actually have a point.

2028 is a non-starter, this is either as I said before a misquote the Govt. refuses to admit, or it's a bone thrown to the other nations that had signed on to built the Lunar station as their contribution to the Artemis Program.

[brovane]

I'll believe it when I see it.

A fully operational nuclear-powered spacecraft in 2 years? Unless the USAF's been operating a fleet of interstellar battlecarriers, I don't see that happening any time soon. Odds are, it was meant to be 2038, but then someone high up said 2028 and the govt, being the govt, refuses to admit a mistake.

I had the same thought about the nuclear powered spacecraft until I looked deeper. They are repurposing the PPE (Gateway's Power and Propulsion Element) by adding a nuclear reactor to it. They are even keeping the solar panels on the PPE. The nuclear reactor will supplement the Solar Panel since it is intended to act as a pathfinder on this mission. Is it a aggressive timeline, yes. Is it doable because of the already built hardware that exists, yes.

https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/03 ... mars-2028/

The issue is still there, designing, building, testing, & certifying a nuclear reactor light enough to be launched, plus the required cooling it'll need? In 2 years? We can't even get an upper-stage built in that time(EUS, look it up), and with a nuclear reactor, you can't do the SpaceX thing and just blow up multiple prototypes til one works. Well, you could, but then the Greenies would actually have a point.

2028 is a non-starter, this is either as I said before a misquote the Govt. refuses to admit, or it's a bone thrown to the other nations that had signed on to built the Lunar station as their contribution to the Artemis Program.

There is always the 2030 launch window.