The MARVL project is set to transform space travel by radically changing how spacecraft radiator systems are designed and assembled. Instead of relying on massive, bulky components that must be folded into rocket payloads, MARVL’s innovative approach involves breaking down these systems into smaller, modular components that can be assembled robotically in space. This strategy offers flexibility, removes payload constraints, and paves the way for more efficient spacecraft designs—potentially enabling round-trip journeys to Mars in about two years.
One of the technologies that NASA is exploring to make these long-duration space missions feasible is nuclear electric propulsion (NEP). NEP uses a nuclear reactor to generate electricity, which ionizes and accelerates gaseous propellants to create thrust, propelling the spacecraft forward.
According to Amanda Stark, a heat transfer engineer at NASA Langley and the principal investigator for the MARVL project, this innovative design removes the need to fit the entire nuclear electric radiator system inside a rocket’s nose cone or fairing, which is typically used to protect payloads. “By doing that, we eliminate trying to fit the whole system into one rocket fairing,” Stark explained. This shift in design allows researchers to optimize the spacecraft’s performance while offering much-needed flexibility in construction.
A major challenge in traditional space missions is the need to compress large systems, such as the heat-dissipating radiators for NEP, into the tight confines of a rocket. For context, the radiator array for a nuclear electric propulsion system could span the size of a football field when fully deployed. Fitting such an enormous system inside a rocket for launch has traditionally been unfeasible. But MARVL addresses this problem head-on by enabling components to be sent into space in pieces, which are then robotically assembled.
Once the system reaches space, robots would take over the assembly of modular radiator panels. These panels would circulate a liquid metal coolant, such as a sodium-potassium alloy, to maintain the proper temperature for the propulsion system. Although this concept presents significant engineering challenges, it represents exactly the type of in-space assembly work that NASA Langley has been pioneering for decades.
MARVL aims to redefine spacecraft design by integrating in-space assembly directly into the vehicle’s development process. Unlike previous vehicles that didn’t consider in-space assembly, this approach would allow engineers to think about spacecraft as something that is constructed beyond Earth—offering entirely new possibilities for propulsion systems and overall vehicle design. Julia Cline, a mentor for the project and leader of NASA Langley’s participation in the Nuclear Electric Propulsion tech maturation plan, noted the transformative potential of this approach: “We’re going to build this vehicle in space. How do we do it? And what does the vehicle look like if we do that?”
The MARVL project has received backing from NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which awarded it through the Early Career Initiative. This grant provides the team with two years to advance the concept before moving on to a small-scale ground demonstration. The team is collaborating with Boyd Lancaster, Inc. to develop the thermal management system, with additional contributions from radiator design engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center and fluid engineers from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Beyond the technical advancements, the MARVL project is also inspiring the next generation of engineers and space researchers. “One of our mentors remarked, ‘This is why I wanted to work at NASA, for projects like this,’” Stark shared, reflecting on the excitement surrounding the project. This sense of passion and innovation is exactly what drives NASA’s mission to develop nuclear propulsion systems for future space exploration, including human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The MARVL initiative is not just about improving space travel—it’s about rethinking what’s possible when it comes to the design and assembly of spacecraft. If successful, it could lay the groundwork for more efficient and flexible space exploration systems, opening up new frontiers in the journey to the stars.
By Impact Lab
