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Wednesday, October 21, 2026

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Space · Wednesday, October 21, 2026

NASA picks a builder for power on a nuclear Mars craft

The File desk · Oct. 21, 2026, 6:40 a.m. ET

Confirmed1 primary sources

Status

Confirmed from NASA's Glenn Research Center article, dated Oct. 20, 2026, at 2:11 p.m. Eastern, and re-opened for this edition. The contract value is not stated. No picture is used.
  • Confirmed
    NASA said Sierra Lobo will build the closed Brayton-cycle power conversion system for the Space Reactor-1 Freedom spacecraft.
  • Confirmed
    NASA says the reactor itself is being designed by the Energy Department's Idaho National Laboratory, and that launch is planned for late 2028.
NASA said Tuesday it has lined up Sierra Lobo to build the machine that turns heat from a space reactor into electricity for a spacecraft called Freedom. The agency says Freedom would be the first fission-powered craft to travel beyond Earth orbit, with a launch planned for late 2028.1
The article, posted at 2:11 p.m. Eastern, says Sierra Lobo will provide the nuclear power module's closed Brayton cycle power conversion system. The reactor “is being designed and developed by the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Idaho National Laboratory.” Program director Steve Sinacore said, “These contract actions not only reduce technical risk and help us maintain momentum toward our 2028 launch.” The contract price is not in the article.1
Why it matters (Estimate). Estimate. Solar panels fade far from the Sun and during the long lunar night. A reactor that works in space would let a mission, or a Moon base, keep power when panels cannot. The price of the Sierra Lobo work is not stated.1 It also means putting a nuclear reactor on a rocket, which is why the article spends its length on safety reviews.
NASA says that in late 2028 the craft will deliver SkyFall, three Mars helicopters evolved from the Ingenuity design. It also says the reactor will stay inactive until the spacecraft leaves Earth orbit, and that NASA and the Energy Department run safety reviews. The page's illustration is credited NASA/Alberto Bertolin. This edition does not run it, so the front page keeps a single picture.
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.NASA Glenn, “NASA's SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power Module,” datePublished 2026-10-20T14:11:33-04:00, which is 2:11 p.m. Eastern. Re-opened for this edition. https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/sr-1-freedom-advances-with-progress-on-nuclear-power-module/ “Destined for Mars and beyond, NASA's Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom will be humanity's first fission-powered spacecraft to travel outside Earth's orbit.” “Sierra Lobo Inc. will provide the nuclear power module's closed Brayton cycle power conversion system.” The reactor “is being designed and developed by the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Idaho National Laboratory.” Steve Sinacore: “These contract actions not only reduce technical risk and help us maintain momentum toward our 2028 launch.” “Launching in late 2028, SR-1 Freedom will deliver the SkyFall science mission, a team of three Mars helicopters evolved from the Ingenuity design.” “the nuclear reactor portion of SR-1 Freedom will remain inactive until the spacecraft leaves Earth orbit.” Illustration credit on the page: NASA/Alberto Bertolin. Not used.

What is still unknown or disputed

  • The contract value is not in the article.
  • The illustration was not published with this story.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    NASA's SR-1 Freedom Advances with Progress on Nuclear Power Module

    NASA · October 20, 2026

    Sierra Lobo Inc. will provide the nuclear power module's closed Brayton cycle power conversion system. Launching in late 2028, SR-1 Freedom will deliver the SkyFall science mission.

    https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/sr-1-freedom-advances-with-progress-on-nuclear-power-module/

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