Dark Fission Space Systems

I'm very proud to report that Dark Fission Space Systems has received a $1.9M Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award from the Space Force as part of SpaceWERX's Sustained Space Maneuver Challenge. We're very excited to get this effort underway! We'll build and ground-test a subscale (non-nuclear) demonstrator of our DARKFORCE reactor and engine while investigating key components of our proposed orbital transfer vehicle (OTV). Anyone who's interested in helping us take our first steps to orbit a nuclear thermal rocket should contact us at [email protected]. We're going. ???? #spaceforce #spacewerx #cislunar

Very proud to have secured a patent for our DARKFORCE nuclear thermal rocket engine - compact, ultra lightweight, ultra-high performance, and safe to boot. This is the engine Dark Fission Space Systems will build to power spacecraft that will rapidly and efficiently cross cislunar and (once we do that) interplanetary space. 90 days to Mars - check. Fast lunar orbit and GEO access as cheap as LEO - check. More good news on the way - we've got a go on the contracts front but will wait until all the i's are dotted and t's crossed to say more. No desire to jinx it - especially in this wild environment. Stand by! ????

Okay, so despite the not-so-great news out of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that their DRACO effort's planned 2027 space demo is now on hold, I'm honestly feeling better than ever about the prospects for flying nuclear thermal rockets. Am I crazy? Well...maybe a bit. We just finished up a day of great talks and discussion at Mar A Lago in Palm Beach on private efforts to fly space nuclear tech hosted by Balerion Space Ventures - with more than a few luminaries (Thomas Mueller, Bhavya Lal, and Kam Ghaffarian) jumping into the fray. There's burgeoning interest in orbiting a variety of space nuclear propulsion and power systems (including nuke electric and nuke thermal rockets, Dark Fission Space Systems' signature technology) for multiple applications - and the distinct possibility that we can get the attention of Elon Musk's DOGE to drive the regulators into top gear. I think FAA, especially, will be receptive. Fielding nuclear propulsion and power is the only way we're going to level up the Space Force, NASA, and private sector space in an increasingly competitive domain - we need the orders-of-magnitude higher energy and power densities nuclear offers so we can move fast, deter enemies, mine and refine volatiles, power settlements - and we need it as soon as we can get it. Chemistry and photovoltaics just don't cut it. Thoroughly enjoyed hearing from Valar Atomics' CEO Isaiah Taylor on how we can achieve a little regulatory "competition" and encourage more innovation in all things nuclear.

Hi folks. We're going to be telling Dark Fission Space Systems' story at the Dallas Nuclear Energy Space & Defense Investor Summit, sponsored by Balerion Space Ventures on December 11, 2024. Hope to see some of you there. We've seen a lot of very positive news on the terrestrial nuclear front (e.g., Microsoft and Amazon jumping into the fray to meet the burgeoning demand for carbon-free power) and would suggest that we're on the cusp of a space nuclear renaissance that will truly change the game on orbit. This is a horses-to-autos level revolution - energy and power available at densities no solar or chemical narrative can match, and in compact, lightweight forms, thus eminently transportable and scalable. This is how we truly open up cislunar space (and then the rest of the solar system) to commerce. But make no mistake: This won't be easy, and it'll require committed players, people who get the vision and understand the risks. We're all in. ????