IT Home, April 14th - In the field of space exploration, Elon Musk's SpaceX has been pushing boundaries. However, a British startup called Pulsar Fusion is also working on an ambitious project to develop a nuclear fusion-powered rocket named "Sunbird".
According to IT Home, nuclear fusion technology has always been a focus of research for top global scientists. Although some progress and breakthroughs have been made over the years, humans have yet to successfully replicate the nuclear fusion process that occurs inside stars on Earth. Richard Dinan, CEO and founder of Pulsar Fusion, told CNN in an interview: "Nuclear fusion is very unnatural on Earth. It is difficult to achieve nuclear fusion in atmospheric conditions, while space is a more reasonable and wiser place to conduct nuclear fusion because it naturally occurs there."
Although "Sunbird" is still in its early stages of construction and faces many challenges in the future, Pulsar Fusion plans to conduct an orbital demonstration by 2027. Moreover, nuclear fusion-powered rockets are expected to enable spacecraft to reach speeds of up to 805,000 kilometers per hour, which is faster than the fastest object humanity has ever created, the Parker Solar Probe, with a top speed of 692,000 kilometers per hour. If nuclear fusion-powered rockets can be put into use, it will halve the travel time to Mars and only take four years to reach Pluto.
How will "Sunbird" shorten interplanetary travel time? Unlike traditional chemical rockets (such as Starship), "Sunbird" does not operate independently but will attach to larger spacecraft to assist them in interstellar travel. Dinan told CNN: "We will launch them into space and set up a charging station for docking. Then they will dock with your spacecraft. Ideally, we will set up a station near Mars and another in low Earth orbit, and let 'Sunbird' travel between the two."
He also mentioned that the first batch of "Sunbird" will be used to transport satellites in orbit, but they can also deliver payloads weighing up to 2,000 kilograms to Mars within just six months.
However, turning nuclear fusion-powered rockets into reality still faces many significant technical challenges. Due to their large size and heavy weight, companies like "Sunbird" may find it difficult to lightweight and miniaturize these systems.
In addition to Pulsar Fusion, companies like Helicity Space and General Atomics are also developing nuclear fusion reactors, receiving support from Lockheed Martin and NASA respectively, with plans to conduct tests by 2027.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7492998955953881641/
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