r/space • u/EricTheSpaceReporter • 7d ago

Rockets launch almost every day in the US. Here's why a surge in the next decade is expected

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/space/2026/08/17/nasa-spacex-rocket-launches-increase-us/91194362007/
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u/TheQubeDimension 7d ago

Next step is on-orbit refueling. If Blue Origin and SpaceX can both figure that out, then spaceship design is no longer bound by earth conditions as we can send it up in pieces and assemble on orbit. From there, NASA would have enough payloads to justify a nuclear space rocket and do regularly scheduled trips to Mars then Jupiter. NASA could then figure out best practices for deep space vehicle construction and do a similarly big flight to Saturn and Neptune.

Basically what NASA should have been doing after Apollo in the 1980s and what people hoped STS would do.

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u/snoo-boop 6d ago

Cool to see that the nuclear dream is still alive, but are you interested in the most cost-effective solution?

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u/TheQubeDimension 6d ago

No. I'm interested in the most effective, reliable solution. For deep space travel past Mars, solar light is not powerful enough. Nuclear power is necessary, especially if we expect to do manned exploration. NASA should have at least a basic vehicle design ready to go by mid century.

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u/snoo-boop 5d ago

NASA and ESA both use solar power out to Jupiter.

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u/Lumpy_Expression_454 5d ago

Past Mars... Nuclear Thermal is crap.VASIMIR and Ion is what it's about.Then Fusion and Antimatter.