Nuclear propulsion offers high efficiency and extended mission capabilities, making it ideal for deep-space exploration, long-duration missions, and heavy payload transport.

Our research explores both nuclear thermal and nuclear electric propulsion, leveraging reactor innovations and advanced propellants to enable faster, more sustainable interplanetary travel. 

BANTER (Bimodal Ammonia Nuclear Thermal/Electric  Rocket) is an ambitious Horizon Europe project that aims to revolutionize space propulsion  by developing a bimodal nuclear propulsion system using ammonia (NH3) as a common propellant. The concept combines two modes of propulsion—nuclear thermal and electric—into a single, integrated, high-performance system capable of enabling long-range missions across the Earth-Moon system and beyond.  

By leveraging advanced ammonia decomposition methods enhanced through catalysis, thermolysis, and radiolysis within a nuclear reactor’s cooling channels, BANTER introduces a paradigm shift in space propulsion.

The result: a compact, reusable, and cost-efficient technology with significant benefits for sustainability, autonomy, and payload flexibility in future European space missions.