Kratos Wins $33.6M NASA Contract for Space Fission Power

The company will supply power conversion hardware for the SR-1 Freedom spacecraft, targeted for a 2028 launch.

Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Nuclear

Isometric editorial illustration of a compact space-qualified gas turbine engine floating against a dark space background. — Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured a $33.6 million NASA contract to build power conversion hardware for the SR-1 Freedom space mission. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has been awarded a $33.6 million contract to develop a power conversion system for the SR-1 Freedom spacecraft. The project, currently in development, will support a NASA mission aimed at testing fission-based power for space exploration.

Why it matters

This contract advances NASA's objective to deploy fission power beyond Earth's orbit, a critical step for powering future crewed missions to Mars. The mission marks the first attempt to field a space-based nuclear reactor in over six decades.

The system utilizes a closed Brayton cycle—a thermodynamic process where a gas is continuously circulated and heated—to convert thermal energy from a fission reactor into electricity. It links the reactor directly to the spacecraft's power distribution and electric propulsion subsystems.

The players

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions

A San Diego-based aerospace and defense contractor specializing in unmanned aerial systems, satellite communications, and power electronics for government missions.

NASA

The United States federal agency responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space exploration.

Sierra Lobo

An aerospace engineering firm serving as the primary contractor for the NASA SpaceDOC III program.

The details

Kratos will design, build, and deliver a compact, space-qualified closed Brayton cycle power conversion system. This architecture relies on a gas-driven turbine to convert the heat generated by a onboard fission reactor into usable electrical current. The hardware serves as the bridge between the nuclear power source and the electric propulsion systems necessary for deep-space transit.

1965: Year of the last U.S. space reactor launch.
October 28, 2026: Kratos announced the contract award.
2028: Targeted launch date for the SR-1 Freedom mission.

The Tech Race

This mission represents the first attempt to deploy space-based fission power since the 1965 launch. It establishes a technical foundation for the SR-1 Freedom to test advanced nuclear electric propulsion and inform future initiatives like the Lunar Reactor-1.

This project is currently in the development phase for a 2028 launch and will not affect current spacecraft or satellite workflows. It serves as a foundational technology demonstration that may eventually support long-duration missions to Mars.

The takeaway

The SR-1 Freedom mission is the most significant effort in decades to validate fission-based energy for deep-space transit. Interested parties should monitor NASA's progress toward the 2028 launch window as a marker for the technical viability of nuclear electric propulsion.