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Marcos Fernandez Tous, Assistant Professor of Space Studies, University of North Dakota

AI is making spacecraft propulsion more efficient – and could even lead to nuclear-powered rockets

Propulsion technology helps rockets get off the ground. Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP

Every year, companies and space agencies launch hundreds of rockets into space – and that number is set to grow dramatically with ambitious missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. But these dreams hinge on one critical challenge: propulsion – the methods used to push rockets and spacecraft forward.

To make interplanetary travel faster, safer and more efficient, scientists need breakthroughs in propulsion technology. Artificial intelligence is one type of technology that has begun to provide some of these necessary breakthroughs.

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