Spaceflight

Space nuclear power and propulsion technologies are poised for a breakthrough after decades of development, but will need consistent government investment to transition to operational systems, according to L3Harris executives.

“We are finally at the cusp for both nuclear electric propulsion and nuclear thermal propulsion,” said Kristin Houston, president of space propulsion and power systems at L3Harris Technologies. “These solutions can be matured and be ready for flight in the next five years.”

Houston leads the business unit absorbed from L3Harris’s acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne — a longtime supplier of space nuclear propulsion systems to NASA.

Despite the promising outlook, Houston emphasized that consistent government investments and leadership are essential to deploy these technologies to help accelerate the space economy.