SpaceX Nuclear

We know SpaceX is researching nuclear options.

Gwynne Shotwell said in 2017 that SpaceX are having difficulties with the US government in obtaining nuclear material for research for SpaceX's nuclear program.

Not much is know of SpaceX's Nuclear Program but there are many applications useful for Mars colonization.

Early use of nuclear power on Mars will greatly expedite the setting up of Mars Base Alpha.

• • Nuclear powered heavy mining vehicles.

  • Nuclear powered plasma engines to reduce travel times and the exposure to radiation in transit to and from Mars for the crews.

  • Nuclear powered chemical plant for making fuel, Oxygen and refining ores, etc.

One possible source of Nuclear material may be to mine it on Mars itself, avoiding any dangers for having to launch it from Earth.

The best place to mine will be at the Volcanoes on Mars as Thorium and Uranium contents of the volcanic Martian rocks (5 + or - 2.5 and 1.1 + or - 0.8 ppm, respectively)

Nuclear materials to do the research required that also might one day lead to breakthroughs into safe nuclear propulsion systems for getting to Mars faster.

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.