Hold onto your hats, because RocketStar just dropped some seriously sci-fi news!
They’ve developed a brand-new ion drive for rockets, and get this—it’s powered by nuclear fusion! No, it’s not the kind of fusion you see in the Sun, but it’s still pretty mind-blowing.
Back in the 1960s, the Soviet Union tried out some experimental ion thrusters on their Zond 2 space probe. These thrusters were simple but effective, using electricity to zap bits of Teflon to generate thrust. NASA even gave them a shot on the Earth Observing 1 mission in 2000.
But here’s where it gets really exciting: RocketStar, along with the US Air Force Research Lab, has taken things to a whole new level. They’ve added something called aneutronic nuclear fusion to the mix.
Now, don’t let the fancy words scare you. Essentially, they’re using water mixed with boron as fuel for their M1.5 FireStar Drive. When they zap this mixture, it creates high-speed protons that collide with the boron atoms, creating a burst of energy that boosts thrust by a whopping 50%!
Chris Craddock, CEO of RocketStar, couldn’t contain his excitement: “We are thrilled at the results of our initial testing on an idea that our team has been exploring for some time.”
So, what’s next? RocketStar plans to put their fusion-powered drive to the test on D-Orbit’s satellite missions later this year.
Imagine that—space travel powered by water and nuclear fusion. The future really is here!
