NASA has announced plans to develop Skyfall, a spacecraft that uses nuclear electric propulsion (NEP), for a 2028 launch on Mars. This technology is different from radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs), which have powered NASA deep-space probes for decades. NEP systems operate like nuclear power plants here on Earth and use thermal energy from the reactor to generate electricity, which can be used to power highly efficient electric thrusters. The spacecraft will be named Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom, which will establish flight-heritage nuclear hardware, set regulatory and launch precedent, and activate the industrial base for future fission power systems across propulsion, surface and long-duration missions. The mission also includes six small helicopters that will explore many potential landing sites for America's first Martian astronauts.