Overview
- NASA announced contract actions that assign Sierra Lobo to supply the nuclear power module’s closed Brayton power conversion system and keep reactor design work at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory to speed module integration.
- SR-1 Freedom is NASA’s first planned fission-powered spacecraft and is meant to demonstrate nuclear electric propulsion on an uncrewed flight to Mars that will carry three SkyFall helicopters.
- NASA is targeting a late-2028 launch with arrival around 2029, a schedule that requires rapid hardware integration, ground testing, and launch‑safety certification.
- The agency and DOE say the reactor will remain inactive during launch and use interagency safety reviews and continuous oversight to manage risks during development and testing.
- Significant technical, testing, cost, and schedule risks remain, as shown by the 2025 DRACO cancellation, and the SR-1 effort will be watched for its implications for future lunar reactors and long‑duration deep‑space missions.