A revolution in spaceflight is in the offing. British startup Pulsar Fusion has unveiled its nuclear fusion-powered rocket, the Sunbird, CNN reported. The rocket is designed to meet spacecraft in orbit, affix itself to them, and use nuclear fusion to propel them to their destination at a breakneck speed.
“It's very unnatural to do fusion on Earth,” said Richard Dinan, founder and CEO of Pulsar.
He added, “Fusion doesn't want to work in an atmosphere. Space is a far more logical, sensible place to do fusion because that's where it wants to happen anyway.”
The Sunbirds will use Duel Direct Fusion Drive (DDFD) engines to power the rockets. This device combines helium-3 and deuterium to provide propulsion. Unlike the traditional fusion reactors, the DDFD will generate charged particles that may be used directly for motion.
The company claimed this technology might shorten the time it takes to get to Pluto to only four years and cut the trip to Mars in half. However, there hasn't been a successful space test of the fusion process yet.
While Sunbird is still in the early phases of development and faces formidable engineering obstacles, it intends to achieve fusion in orbit for the first time by 2027. If operational, the rocket might eventually shorten the travel time of a possible expedition to Mars in half.
Rockets propelled by fusion are not designed to take off from the ground. They are too deadly and strong for that. However, they can change the game in space. A Sunbird may catch a spacecraft and fling it toward the Moon, Mars, or even farther away once it is in low-Earth orbit.
The Sunbirds will initially be used to transport satellites in orbit, but their true potential would come into play with interplanetary missions.
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