Space NASA thinks US needs nuclear-powered spacecraft to stay ahead of China

[Combat-Master]

Experts recently shared that they think the U.S. needs to seriously invest in nuclear technology to stay ahead of CHina in space. (Image credit: NASA)

The U.S. needs to invest more in nuclear-powered spacecraft to be competitive with nations like China, experts say.

During a government hearing on Wednesday (Oct. 20), experts from NASA and the aerospace industry discussed how the U.S. stacks up against other nations when it comes to developing new nuclear propulsion technology. And, according to them, the U.S. needs to move quickly if it wants to keep up. The congressional committee hearing, called "Accelerating deep space travel with space nuclear propulsion," took place before the U.S. House of Representatives' Science, Space and Technology Committee.
"Strategic competitors including China are aggressively investing in a wide range of space technologies, including nuclear power and propulsion," Bhavya Lal, NASA's senior advisor for budget and finance, said in the hearing. "The United States needs to move at a fast pace to stay competitive and to remain a leader in the global space community."

rest of the article; https://www.space.com/us-needs-nuclear-powered-spacecraft