Six Months to Mars?: Ohio State’s nuclear rocket could make it possible

Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh

Uranium Boost

Unlike any rocket before it, this system heats propellant with liquid uranium—and could cut Mars travel time nearly in half.

Representative pic

Mars Shortcut

From 900 days to just 420. CNTR isn’t just faster—it might be the only way humans get to Mars without wrecking their bodies.

Thrust Revolution

Traditional rockets burn fuel. CNTR bends physics—delivering four times the efficiency with nuclear firepower at its core.

Refuel Anywhere

Methane from a moon? Ammonia from an asteroid? CNTR’s wildest trick might be eating space rocks for fuel.

Impulse Surge

Chemical rockets max out at 450 seconds of specific impulse. CNTR blows past 1800—making it the fastest engine we've never launched.

Rocket Renaissance

Developed with NASA, built at Ohio State, the CNTR could mark the rebirth of nuclear propulsion—and the end of chemical limitations.

Deep Drive

Not just Mars—Neptune, Uranus, the Kuiper Belt. This rocket could unlock missions so distant, they’ve been pure sci-fi until now.

Fail-Safe or Fallout?

Liquid uranium means sky-high risk if it fails. Researchers say they’re racing against time—and radiation—to make it work safely.

Colony Enabler

By cutting costs, time, and cargo limits, CNTR could be the engine behind the first self-sustaining off-Earth civilization.