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NASA’s nuclear Mars mission to cost over $2 billion

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Published

July 21, 2026

NASA’s nuclear Mars mission to cost over $2 billion

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman’s ambitious plans to build a nuclear-powered spacecraft and fly it to Mars will cost over $2 billion, the agency confirmed this week. The new cost estimate for the mission, dubbed Space Reactor-1 Freedom, comes as the agency juggles a number of high-profile missions — including returning humans to the Moon and building a lunar outpost — all while operating under what is expected to be a flat budget.

Source: politico.com , photo by Vladyslav Cherkasenko on Unsplash