NASA Plans Nuclear-Powered Spacecraft for Skyfall Mission to Mars

Illustration of NASA's SR-1 Freedom spaceship in front of an illustration of Mars.

Illustration of NASA's SR-1 Freedom spaceship in front of an illustration of Mars. NASA’s Skyfall mission will test nuclear electric propulsion with the Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft. Launching in 2028, it will deploy helicopter swarms on Mars to scout landing sites and search for water, potentially cutting travel time by 25%.