July 26 (Reuters) - Weapons maker Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) has been awarded a contract by a U.S. Department of Defense agency to develop a nuclear-powered spacecraft for the purposes of exploration and national defense, the company said on Wednesday. Lockheed Martin said the project is an advancement in propulsion technology – from chemical propulsion engines to nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) engines. "These more powerful and efficient nuclear thermal propulsion systems can provide faster transit times between destinations. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded the contract to Lockheed under a project called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). The in-space flight demonstration of a nuclear thermal rocket engine vehicle will take place no later than 2027, Lockheed said.

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Persons: Lockheed Martin, Jeff Bezos, Kirk Shireman, Kannaki, Shailesh Organizations: Lockheed, U.S . Department of Defense, Origin, Elon, SpaceX, Lunar, Lockheed Martin Space, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Agile Cislunar, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru