NASA announces SR-1 Freedom, a reactor-powered spacecraft to launch to Mars in 2028

NASA/SR-1 Freedom (Space Reactor-1)

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman unveiled Space Reactor-1 Freedom, a spacecraft whose small fission reactor will power electric thrusters for a roughly one-year trip to Mars, with launch set for December 2028. It is framed as a test bed for nuclear electric propulsion, and it will drop off three small helicopters, similar to Ingenuity, to scout the planet.

• About 20 kW of electricity from a HALEU-fuelled reactor via a closed Brayton cycle; electric propulsion up to 48 kW.
• The reactor switches on within 48 hours of launch; the trip takes about a year.
• Design completion and hardware work were to begin in June 2026, with assembly and testing in 2028.
• The SkyFall helicopters carry cameras and ground-penetrating radar to map buried water ice.