Nuclear powered spacecraft
Nuclear Powered Spacecraft Part 1 Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) is a spacecraft propulsion system that uses a nuclear reactor to generate electricity, which then powers electric thrusters for propulsion, as we were reading in previous article Ion thrusters . This process creates continuous, low thrust but highly efficient acceleration, ideal for long-duration deep-space missions to planets like Mars or Saturn where solar power is insufficient. NEP systems convert a reactor's heat into electricity, which is used to ionize a propellant and accelerate it to produce thrust, offering much higher efficiency than chemical rockets but less thrust than Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP). Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) uses a reactor's heat to directly heat a propellant, which is then expelled through a nozzle for high-thrust, high-efficiency propulsion, ideal for faster transit times to Mars. In contrast, Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) converts the reactor's heat into elec...