DRACO

The Nuclear Option

Since 2023 NASA and DARPA have started on the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program that aims to launch in 2027.

Despite NASA being involved this is mainly a US military Nuclear rocket program (Link to the US military on DRACO) This helps to guarantee the funding from the US Congress as a response to China's fast evolving space dominance threat.

"The space domain is essential to modern commerce, scientific discovery, and national defense. Moving larger payloads into farther locations in cislunar space – the volume of space between the Earth and the Moon – will require a leap-ahead in propulsion technology."

DRACO will use a nuclear thermal rocket (NTR) when in orbit.

The program apparently also includes the launch rocket as well.