The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) plans to spend about 2.1 billion USD to build and launch the SR-1 Freedom spacecraft using a nuclear fissile reactor, with the goal of carrying out a mission to Mars by the end of 2028.
On July 21 (local time), according to TASS news agency, NASA spokesman Jan Wittry said that SR-1 Freedom will mark an important step in the development of nuclear energy technology to serve space missions far from Earth.
SR-1 Freedom is an important step for the US to possess nuclear space capabilities, helping missions operate further, longer and more efficiently beyond Earth's orbit," Ms. Wittry said.
According to NASA, most of the ship's structure will utilize hardware that has been developed before, while the new research focus will focus on the nuclear reactor system, in order to demonstrate its operational capacity to serve long-term missions to the Moon, Mars and future space exploration programs.
The plan announced by NASA Director Jared Isaacman from March 2026 also said that SR-1 Freedom will carry 3 new generation robot helicopters to Mars within the framework of the SkyFall program.
These helicopters are developed based on Ingenuity - the first helicopter model to operate on another planet outside Earth.
Ingenuity was put on Mars with the Perseverance rover in February 2021 and operated until early 2024. In nearly 3 years, the helicopter weighing about 1.8kg has made 72 flights, supporting surveying areas that rovers cannot reach, mapping 3D terrain and serving many other scientific tasks.
NASA said that the development cost of Ingenuity is about 80 million USD. Although the helicopter was damaged and stopped operating from the beginning of 2024, the agency affirmed that Ingenuity has far exceeded initial expectations, opening up a completely new approach to planetary exploration activities.
The development of SR-1 Freedom is considered the next step in the strategy of bringing nuclear energy into space missions, helping to increase operational capabilities and expand the scope of human exploration in the Solar System.
