cause the cruise missle can just circle almost indeffinately and swarm any ICBM on the ascent stage

Even if it has the same thrust, it can burn for hundreds of years, so it would eventually reach orbit

but @Uksio that's irrelevant as current research is looking into ways of making such things happen in space for better efficiency so as to be more fuel efficient

they would in effect enable a pre-emtive strike

The nuclear doctrine remains that warheads with smaller destructive capacity but which can be feilded in large numbers by ICBMs are more efficient than rocket with big destructive capabilities which can only target one place

because you could have most of the other guys icbms taregted before they even left the bunker and cruise missles just hovering

now you could say that maybe developing nuclear rockets is a good replacement for solid fuel rockets and that's true, but why do that when you can just skip the middle man entirely?

Well not really

Imagine if this is a failed rocket launch, and russia has a fleet of nuclear rockets just idly circling the earth in the furthest orbits, undetected

O O F

Nuclear Thermal Propulsion is eyed only for spacecraft

Imagine if the nukes have already dropped and we are living in inner eather

a cruise missle is a stalking weapon

Not rockets meant to send payloads into space

You'd think the US or China would INSTANTLY pick up on that

Yes, it is the most optimal in interplanetary space

not below radar

A nuclear rocket would be THE BEST choice for asteroid mining

why?

mining != demolition

Because it can provide thrust for hundreds of years

Asteroid mining is not thay feasible rn

but that has nothing to do with mining

@Andrew Popa 2.0 exactly my point, and they want to skip the nuclear powered phase entirely and go straight into laser prolusion and solar sails

It can bring any asteroid out of the oort belt and let it circle the earth in a stable orbit for mining

Why mine asteroids? Just crash them into Siberia and come in with trains and choppers.

Well in thay case it depends

that is a pipe dream;lasers can't provide the power

There is research in all methods of propulsion

we'd have fusion reactors if we had those kinds of materials

Asteroids have far more rare earth materials than earthly mines do

but asteroids are in space

possibly in more pure form too

it'd be Fusion Powered and it'd be a laser propulsion system that uses solar sails for interplanetary travel

mines can be accessed by any pleb

not even

A nuclear-thrust rocket that will last you many years can retrieve asteroid from space without causing a disaster

laser propulsion requires a quantum leap in about 4 differnt field

And erthlings then gain some precious mineral

nuclear thrust?

remember, there isn't a displacement medium