Orion drive

noun

A theoretical means to propel spacecraft through space, by detonating nuclear bombs behind the spaceship and riding the nuclear explosions that push against the rear mounted pusher plate.

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Meanings

nounOrion drive (plural Orion drives)

plural Orion drives

  1. space flightliteratureA theoretical means to propel spacecraft through space, by detonating nuclear bombs behind the spaceship and riding the nuclear explosions that push against the rear mounted pusher plate.
  2. An engine using such a method.

Origin

From Orion + drive, since it originated from Project Orion, a U.S. government study from the 1950s.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Orion drive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Orion%20drive

MLA

“Orion drive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Orion%20drive. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Orion drive,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Orion%20drive.

Source: Orion drive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.