/sci/ - Science & Math

>>14549513
>-uses cobalt-60 to generate electricity
>electric thruster use melted indium as propellant at about 5000 isp
>3/4 the launch mass is shielding around the cobalt-60 core that gets discarded once it is safely in orbit
You're conflating the phase 1 NIAC concept with the DIU proposal, little is known about the latter. It's likely the isotope being considered has a much better specific power, otherwise it's worse than solar for operations around Earth and it would be of little use to the military. The tradeoff is that it becomes even more expendable or the battery must be brought to a reactor for recharging.