Runs on water and achieves 50% more energy

the Nuclear energy has every potential to shape the future of space exploration. Aside from the solar panels currently used by most satellites and observing devices such as the James Webb Telescope, the ships already being designed often use nuclear reactors. These will, among other things, allow travel to Mars in half the time, provide a reliable and long-lasting resource, with minimal maintenance and have been proven successful on the Mars missions of the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers.

Before they can become a reality in large rockets heading to the far reaches of the solar system, these propulsion systems must be tested in orbit on a much smaller scale. This is what the American startup RocketStar intends, which has just announced the success of its first tests FireStar Drive, an innovative electric propulsion unit for spacecraft Which uses pulsed plasma powered by nuclear fusion.

The device that Increases water-fed company thrust by up to 50%It will be tested in space in July this year, but it still has to pass new tests on Earth and make further modifications to be confirmed as an alternative to other types of propulsion.

From handkerchief to space

Some of the most important discoveries and inventions in history have a strange story behind them. Many of them start casually, with A simple drawing on a piece of paperThis is exactly the case with FireStar Drive, although it remains to be seen whether it will be able to define the before and after of the aviation industry.

“I sketched this idea on a napkin at a conference in Florida and described it to Lewis Faller, founder of Miles Space,” explains Chris Craddock, CEO of RocketStar. In a press release. Shortly thereafter, Craddock acquired the company and Faller became its CTO. “It was very smart to develop both the basic missile and the fusion upgrade. Now I'm excited about the conversion idea.” [nuestra idea] in Fusion-enhanced propellant with significant performance improvements“.

The merger first occurred during the first phase of AFWERX's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), The department that explores the latest technologies for the US Department of the Air Force.

The discovery happened yet Introducing water with boron particles into the propellant exhaust column RocketStar Pulsed Plasma. The reaction produced alpha particles and gamma rays, common indicators of ionizing radiation, which occurs after nuclear fusion occurs.

[El innovador motor de agua para que los satélites espaciales puedan durar más años en órbita]

Months later, in the second phase of SBIR, which took place at the Georgia Institute of Technology's High Energy Electric Propulsion Laboratory (HPEPL), the experiment was repeated. In addition to ionizing radiation, orientation data were obtained, which 50% improvement over previous generation propellants.

“RocketStar not only gradually improved the propulsion system, but took a leap forward by implementing a new concept, creating Fusion and fission reaction in the exhaustsays Adam Hecht, a professor of nuclear engineering at the University of New Mexico.

Another big advantage compared to other systems that aim to use nuclear fusion to propel satellites and rockets is that, in this case, the fusion is non-neutronic, that is, the neutrons generated represent no more than 1% of the total energy released. this means A decisive increase in safety for both the rest of the ship's equipment and the potential crewAlthough we have a very long way to go and many experiments on Earth and in space to make this possible.

First missions

According to RocketStar officials, who are also trying to develop a reusable rocket, this unique nuclear fusion engine is now available for delivery to customers. Its tentative name is M1.5 and it has already been scheduled Demonstration in space as a payload hosted on an OTV ION satellite carrier From startup D-orbit. Launches are scheduled to take place in July and October of this year, as part of two SpaceX Transporter missions aboard Falcon 9 rockets.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with RocketStar and contribute to the M1.5 offering,” said Matteo Lorenzoni, Head of Sales at D-Orbit. “We just integrated the booster into the ION satellite carrier, and We look forward to watching its performance in orbit“.

This is just the first step, as more ground tests are also planned Another demonstration in February 2025 aboard Barry-2another carrier and distributor of satellites in orbit, in this case from the Rogue Space System.

Rogue is the same company that collaborated on Quantum Drive, the first electric motor that gets all its power from the sun and doesn't need to carry fuel on board. Weighing just 300 grams and modular design developed by IVO, this engine emits no emissions and is completely autonomous, allowing Scale on multiple axes to meet the needs of each individual spacecraftregardless of orientation requirements.

Advanced technology generates Thrust force of up to 52 million Newtons from one watt With the ability to add units to multiply. “The thrusters can be mounted in any direction,” allowing up to 6 degrees of freedom of movement: forward/backward, up/down, left/right, yaw, pitch and roll.

Quantum Drive was first launched into space last year, and is scheduled to enter commercial use soon. They will be Thrust devices built into Rogue's Orbots satellitesWhich aims to provide high mobility satellite services.