The U.S. space agency will aim to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars—a first—in a bid to show that nuclear propulsion can be used to send missions into deep space

The mission, called Space Reactor-1 Freedom (SR-1 Freedom), is set to launch in December 2028. This mission aims to showcase the use of nuclear fission in space to power electric thrusters. While nuclear technology has been around for decades, it lacked the drive, purpose, destination, and leadership—until now.

The agency’s leader said new plans and timelines for the coming decade aim to create a permanent foothold by humans on another world and inspire Americans.

NASA's Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) is a pair of spacecraft that will study space weather around Mars. Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

The Artemis II mission is America’s opening bid for deep space exploration — an ambition that is well worth its hefty price tag. Some taxpayers watching Artemis II might think, “Been there, done that.

On March 27, 1989, the Soviet Union's Phobos 2 mission to Mars' moons ended in failure. [‘On This Day in Space’ Video Series on Space.com] But the whole mission was definitely not a failure. Phobos 2