Building a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system is only half the challenge. Getting it approved for launch, operation, and integration into missions is the other equally complex half.
Space nuclear systems face one of the most demanding regulatory environments in aerospace. We've built our roadmap, team, and product strategy with this in mind from day one.
Our leadership includes professionals who have worked inside and alongside the key agencies that govern nuclear technology, spaceflight safety, and national security. We understand how to balance innovation with compliance-and how to do it without slowing down.
A System Designed to Be Licensed
From fuel form factor to shielding configuration, we're engineering our propulsion system with regulatory compliance built in. That includes:
We know that if it can't be licensed, it won't fly. So we design from that principle forward.
Some companies treat regulation as an obstacle. We treat it as part of the mission. Our goal isn't to find workarounds-it's to build trust with regulators, customers, and the public. That's how you turn an ambitious concept into a spaceflight-certified product.
And we're doing it without sacrificing speed.
Regulatory Confidence = Market Readiness.
We aren't guessing our way through the licensing labyrinth. We're navigating it with intention-because propulsion innovation only matters if it leaves the ground.
Powerful and permissible - that is how we are building engines at Dark Fission. And that's how we go from concept to orbit within five year.
