{"id":40821,"date":"2026-02-04T10:27:43","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T09:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rinconeducativo.org\/noticias\/nasa-completa-con-exito-pruebas-prototipo-motor-nuclear-flujo-frio\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T11:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T10:40:57","slug":"nasa-successfully-completes-tests-coldflow-nuclear-engine-prototype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rinconeducativo.org\/en\/noticias\/nasa-successfully-completes-tests-coldflow-nuclear-engine-prototype\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Successfully Completes Tests of Its Cold\u2011Flow Nuclear Engine Prototype"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>NASA has reached a milestone in the space race with this technological breakthrough \u2014 the first of its kind since the 1960s \u2014 which promises to double the efficiency of current rockets and open the door to interstellar missions.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"652\" height=\"359\" src=\"https:\/\/rinconeducativo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Unidad_Prueba_NASA_Enero-2026.png\" alt=\"tripulaciones del CMVE de la NASA en Huntsville, Alabama, instalan una unidad de desarrollo de ingenier\u00eda de reactores de vuelo en el Puesto de Pruebas 400 como preparaci\u00f3n para las pruebas de flujo fr\u00edo.\" class=\"wp-image-40807\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.8161915125136017;width:410px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/rinconeducativo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Unidad_Prueba_NASA_Enero-2026.png 652w, https:\/\/rinconeducativo.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Unidad_Prueba_NASA_Enero-2026-500x275.png 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Source: NASA. NASA CMVE crews install a flight\u2011reactor engineering development unit at Test Stand 400 in preparation for cold\u2011flow testing.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, has completed, as part of its DRACO program, a series of critical tests on a prototype nuclear reactor designed to propel spacecraft beyond Jupiter and, in the future, out of our solar system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout 2025, more than 100 tests were carried out on a barrel\u2011sized engineering development unit of about 378 liters. The system simulates how liquid hydrogen propellant would flow through a real nuclear reactor powering a spacecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These tests, conducted in collaboration with BWX Technologies, focused on what is known as \u201ccold\u2011flow\u201d testing. Unlike a full nuclear reaction, this procedure uses a full\u2011scale model to simulate how hydrogen propellant behaves as it travels through the reactor core \u2014 without using radioactive materials. The goal is to verify that the design can withstand the destructive vibrations and extreme pressure waves that occur during real operation, thereby validating the mathematical models that will guide future NASA missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not since the 1960s has such precise data been obtained for a flight\u2011capable space reactor design. These results not only confirm the project\u2019s viability but also strengthen the technological foundation needed for nuclear thermal propulsion to become the standard for long\u2011distance space travel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The significance of this achievement lies in its ability to overcome the limitations of conventional chemical propulsion. While current engines rely on combustion reactions that rapidly deplete fuel, this new system uses nuclear fission to heat hydrogen, enabling an efficiency twice that of today\u2019s best rockets. This would drastically reduce travel times to destinations such as Mars \u2014 meaning less exposure to cosmic radiation for astronauts, reduced life\u2011support requirements, and crews arriving with far less fatigue. For robotic missions to the outer solar system, nuclear propulsion could enable entirely new categories of science that are simply not feasible with current technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Collaboration with industrial partners such as General Atomics has also been crucial, as it is essential to verify that the specialized nuclear fuel can withstand the extreme operating conditions expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Original article:<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/tech-demo-missions-program\/space-nuclear-propulsion-snp\/nasa-testing-advances-space-nuclear-propulsion-capabilities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NASA Testing Advances Space Nuclear Propulsion Capabilities<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA has reached a milestone in the space race with this technological breakthrough \u2014 the first of its kind since the 1960s \u2014 which promises to double the efficiency of current rockets and open the door to interstellar missions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1088,"featured_media":40808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7424],"tags":[8972,8962,8230,8366,8471,9005],"class_list":["post-40821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other-news","tag-aplicaciones-de-la-tecnologia-nuclear-en","tag-energia-nuclear-en","tag-nuclear-energy","tag-nuclear-reactors","tag-nuclear-technology-applications","tag-reactores-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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