Proposal for a Concept Assessment of a Fission Fragment Rocket Engine (FFRE) Propelled Spacecraft

A new technology, the Fission Fragment Rocket Engine (FFRE), requires small amounts of readily available, energy dense, long lasting fuel, significant thrust at specific impulse of a million seconds, and increases safety by charging the reactor after arrival in LEO. If this study shows the FFRE potential, the return could be immense through savings in travel time, payload fraction, launch vehicle support and safety for deep space exploration.

The Fission Fragment Rocket Engine (FFRE), has the potential to free interplanetary space travel from the demands placed on system design and operation by chemical, electric, or nuclear thermal propupulsion technology by requiring small amounts of readily available, energy dense, long lasting fuel, significant thrust at specific impulse of a million seconds, and increasing safety by charging the reactor after arrival in LEO. To bring this technology into consideration requires studies of FFRE design and integration into a host vehicle. This proposal details an initial study. If this study shows the FFRE potential, the return could be immense through savings in travel time, payload fraction, launch vehicle support and safety for deep space exploration.

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