Consortium led by OHB Czechspace as the prime contractor supported by CTU (Czech Technical University in Prague), IRS (Institute of Space Systems, University of Stuttgart) and OHB System passed their first project Milestone of the Nuclear Electric Propulsion (NEP) program, so called “RocketRoll”, this week.
The main goal of the latest project phase was to review and assess the state-of-the-art of past NEP vehicles. Our consortium assessed different types of space fission reactors, fuels, energy conversion cycles, radiators, thrusters as well as safety considerations for the use of NEP.
RocketRoll (pReliminary eurOpean reckon on nuclear electric pROpuLsion for space appLications) program is driven by different Use-Cases, such as: transit travels between the Earth and Moon, crewed mission to Mars or transit from LEO to Sun-Earth Lagrange points.
The main advantage of NEP is its high efficiency due to the significant increase in thrust compared to chemical propulsion systems. In other words, this allows spacecraft to travel further, faster, and lighter, enabling deep space missions together with more payload to be carried.
We are excited that the company and scientists from the Czech Republic are participating in the development of NEP, under the auspices of the European Space Agency (ESA), as it is a new cutting-edge technology that has a great benefit for technology advancements and the development of industry in the Czech Republic with the future possibility of space travel expansion and space colonization.
Contact:
Lucie Kopecká
HR & Marketing Specialist
Tel: +420 777 999 584
E-Mail: pr@ohb-czech.cz