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

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 APEvery 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, scienti…