Traveling to other planets in the solar system is still a dream. The journey to the moon, which occurred only once in 1969, is still a major challenge for scientists and astronauts who want to repeat it.
However, around the world, Governmental and private initiatives are looking for solutions to improve the time and cost of these trips, especially for MarsThe planet, which generates most of the economic curiosity in many countries.
An example of these endeavors is the missile Sunbird of the British Pulsar Fusion Startup, which is the time of a journey from Earth to half Marti In the coming years. The expectation, according to the company’s researchers, is to do the first trip already in 2027.
“We are facing a vital crisis and climate, but there is hope,” said Richard Dinon, CEO of the company, in the project’s promotional video. “If we can solve a problem, we may be able to solve each of them by repeating the process of nuclear fusion that occurs in the sun.”
How does a Sunbird missile work?
Sunbird, in reference to the sun, is called, The British missile model uses a nuclear fusion payment systemDuel Direct Fusion Drive (DDFD), which is promising to make flights between planets faster and more efficient.
The wonderful Sunbird, according to her creator, has been overwhelmed Nuclear fusion compressed, It is able to provide both motivations and electric power to the spacecraft. See the missile:
According to the Plusar Fusion simulation, this technology can make 1000 kg of the spacecraft to Pluto, for example, in just four years, which is much shorter than the necessity of current missions.
Reducing the time to travel to Mars
at the moment, Traditional tasks take about seven months to reach Mars. With Sunbird, this Time can be reduced to about 150 days. This occurs, in the view of the beating researchers, because the DDFD technology allows a continuous and highly efficient motivation, which reduces the need for large amounts of chemical motivation.
In practice, the model works in an integrated way: A spacecraft thrown from Earth to Low orbit (Leo) is associated with sunbirds already placed in space. From that point, The payment missile is supposed to use nuclear fusion capacity to accelerate the spacecraft It greatly reduces fuel expenses.
Watch simulation:
Development schedule
Project Sunbird is currently in the manufacturing stage of the initial model. The first fixed tests for the year 2025 were scheduled, with a A demonstration in the scheduled orbit for the year 2027.
If the results are positive, The Pulsar team expects this technology to examine a new era in space explorationMake the tasks between the planets easier and more frequent. Some challenges, however, in the radar of scientists.
“The nuclear power inclusion is greatly advanced, but it is still very difficult to make it possible in the air,” said Richard Dinan, president of the company. Therefore, the work we do in Pulsar involves Giant vacuum cameras, which mimic the environment in which the missile will workAnd the walls that are thick, to avoid radiation of neutrons from leaving the simulation.
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