A nuclear-thermoelectric rocket is a theoretical or experimental engine that uses a nuclear reactor to both heat a propellant and generate electricity for further ionization. The working fluid is pre-heated by the reactor to increase its baseline energy, then ionized and accelerated by an electrical field powered by the same reactor. This dual-mode approach attempts to balance the higher thrust of a thermal rocket with the extreme efficiency of an ion engine.
The mass penalty of the conversion hardware makes the nuclear-thermoelectric rocket difficult to justify over a pure thermal or pure electric design.
Related terms
Nuclear-electric rocket
A spacecraft propulsion system pairing a nuclear reactor with an electric thruster.
Nuclear-thermal rocket
A propulsion system that uses a fission reactor to heat and expand a propellant.
Ion engine
A spacecraft thruster that accelerates charged particles using an electric field to generate thrust.