NASA and DARPA discuss new advanced propulsion technology

Two of the most forward-thinking agencies in the United States are joining forces to promote the development of advanced space propulsion. A side chat about the new collaboration is scheduled for Tuesday morning, and You can watch it live here.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Class of 2023 SciTech Forum Officially underway at National Harbor, Maryland. The theme for this year’s conference is “Exploring the Frontiers of Space,” and it will run from today through Friday at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. Speakers at the forum will touch on the future of space and interplanetary exploration, aeronautics, climate research, and Earth sciences, among Other topics.

Of note is a panel discussion that will take place on Tuesday, January 24 at 10:00 a.m. ET, during which officials from NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, will participate – the Pentagon Secret Research Wing – “will discuss interagency collaboration to develop space propulsion technologies for both civil and defense efforts,” such as AIAA Describe side chat.

The session will be available at NASA TVAnd the application of NASA and the agency website. You’ll also be able to watch it in the live stream above.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will deliver a keynote address, after which Stephen Howe, former director of the Center for Space Nuclear Research (CSNR), will lead a two-person panel consisting of NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Milroy and DARPA Administrator Stephanie Tompkins. Milroy has a connection to DARPA, having served as the agency’s deputy director in the Office of Tactical Technology from 2013 to 2017.

It’s not clear how deeply the panelists will delve into the details, but it was great to know Some concrete information about the types of advanced space propulsion technologies NASA and DARPA will seek to develop, along with descriptions of potential future applications. Updates about ongoing projects, such as powered spacecraft Nuclear thermal propulsion, would also be welcome. NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts Program (NIAC) recently Of course Phase I status and $175,000 funding for a University of Florida team working on a nuclear engine A concept that could take a spacecraft to Mars in just 45 days.

This should make for a great conversation, I look forward to learning about the collaboration and how the two agencies plan to work together.

more: Airplanes on Titan, Pipelines on the Moon: NASA Examines Some Technologies of the Terrestrial Future