[3L14-16] New Type Reactor Development

[3L16] Preliminary study on nuclear propulsion spacecraft using electromagnetic launcher

*Akira Sakaguchi¹, Naoyuki Takaki¹ (1. Tokyo City University)

Keywords:space reactor, electromagnetic launcher, nuclear propulsion, rock

Nuclear Thermal Rockets (NTP) are currently being researched and developed as a means of crewed interplanetary missions. Propellant is heated and expanded by heat generated in a nuclear reactor and ejected through a nozzle to generate thrust. However, whereas the life of a nuclear reactor lasts for years, propellant is depleted in a few hours of burning, and there is no established means of replenishing depleted propellant during exploration. In this study, we examined the feasibility of a nuclear propulsion spacecraft that uses rocks collected from the Moon and Mars as propellant, which is ejected at high speed by an electromagnetic launcher driven by a nuclear reactor, and gains thrust from the reaction.