The largest nuclear fusion rocket engine to reach Mars in 60 days

With the propulsion of nuclear fusion, space flights can last 3 times less than current technologies. In this vision, Pulsar Fusion set out to build the world’s largest nuclear fusion rocket engine. The fusion chamber, which is 9.8 meters across, will be home to higher-than-average temperatures at the Sun’s core when it launches next year. The in-orbit test is scheduled for 2027.

Pulsar Fusion has been involved in the design of nuclear fusion rocket engines for about ten years now. Currently in the third phase of project development, the company plans to conduct the first static tests by next year and in-orbit tests in 2027.

To get the thrust needed to launch a rocket, the fusion chamber must reach temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees—a key parameter for nuclear fusion reactions. Since these temperatures are higher than those in the sun’s core, the room will temporarily become the hottest place in the solar system.

The energy released by the fusion engine can allow the rocket to reach speeds from 110 to 350 kilometers per second. ” The current satellite engines we make today in Pulsar produce up to 40 kilometers per second at exhaust velocity. We hope to achieve more than 10 times that with the merger He explains in A communication Richard Dinan, CEO, Pulsar Fusion.

If all goes according to plan, Pulsar Fusion could revolutionize space travel. With the speed obtained by this first device, the travel time to Mars will be divided by 3 (2-3 months instead of 6-8), while Saturn and Pluto will be reached in only 2 and 4 years, respectively. By comparison, a trip to Saturn would take about 8 years with current technologies, or 4 times longer. If the technology proves viable, it could develop into even shorter travel times.

impulse of 100 newtons

The engine developed by Pulsar Fusion uses Direct Fusion Drive (DFD). This is an innovative concept to drive steady-state fusion, achieved through an integrated fusion reactor. Instead of converting the released energy into electricity, the charged particles create a direct thrust. This feature makes the fusion engine more efficient than propellant engines, as it is powered by isotopes. In addition, there is no fuel payload – which for conventional devices can account for several tens of tons.

The DFD engine can deliver power on the order of megawatts, allowing thrust from 10 to 101 Nm. At the same time, this power can also ensure the power supply of the spacecraft, where the engine can be integrated. Thus, the technology can provide opportunities for short-term space exploration over great distances, in combination with an incredibly high payload-to-propellant mass ratio.

Computer modeling showed that the engine could propel a spacecraft weighing about one ton at a very high speed. It should be noted that nuclear fusion reactions are also easier to perform in space than on Earth, where the cold and vacuum of space is especially useful for them.

However, the startup still faces a huge challenge today, in particular the feedback stabilization at the fusion chamber level. According to James Lambert, CFO of Pulsar Fusion, “The challenge is learning to hold and confine superheated plasma to an electromagnetic field.”

Gain stability through machine learning

The plasma’s behavior is a bit like that of a weather system, that is, it is very unpredictable – especially taken to hundreds of millions of degrees. Indeed, the hydromagnetic dynamics and gyrokinetic kinetics of the plasma make it particularly susceptible to state change. ”
Scientists are unable to control the turbulent plasma because it heats up to hundreds of millions of degrees and the reaction simply stops Dinan explains.

Like that which occurs inside the Sun, nuclear fusion consists of trapping superheated plasma in a strong electromagnetic field. The difficulty for Pulsar Fusion is to stabilize this plasma in a huge electromagnetic field and confined to a very limited area – and that for a long period of time. This step is necessary to allow the obtained high-density plasma to provide the power needed for the actuator.

To overcome this challenge, Pulsar Fusion engineers relied on machine learning to set the best installation parameters. To do this, they previously extracted data from the Princeton Field Reverse Configuration Reactor (PFRC) to incorporate it into computer simulations to better predict plasma behavior under electromagnetic confinement. The PFRC is part of a series of plasma physics experiments aimed at evaluating the optimal configuration of the most powerful fusion reactors. The technology is particularly intended for application to DFD engines.

In addition to space travel, Pulsar Fusion technology can also be applied to some of the existing experimental nuclear fusion systems.