A new rocket thruster could enable “never-ending” voyages into deep space by using any type of metal as fuel.
A team at the University of Southampton is testing a new propulsion system which would allow metals found on comets and moons to be harvested in order to propel a spacecraft indefinitely.
Most current rocket propulsion systems for spacecraft that have left Earth’s atmosphere use rare gas phase fuels such as xenon or krypton, which are easy to supply on Earth but difficult to get in space.
The rocket thruster ‘opens a new way to explore planets and space’. Pic: University of Southampton
Scientists measure the propulsion system’s thrust. Pic: University of Southampton
But using metals a spacecraft could harvest along its journey “opens a new way to explore planets and space,” lead scientist Dr Minkwan Kim told Sky News.
“It can actually go far into deep space and operate for many years.”
Dr Minkwan Kim. Pic: University of Southampton
The new thrusters can burn metals which are relatively abundant in space, such as iron, aluminium and copper, said Dr Kim, who created a plasma thruster design for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched last year.
“That gives us a new strategy to travel through deep space,” he added.
Current thrusters that use metal are designed for satellites, but the one Dr Kim and his team are testing could be used to power spaceships through space.
The thruster. Pic: University of Southampton
The team are working with British-based space firm Magdrive on the propulsion system, named Super Magdrive, which has received £1m from the UK government.
“We hope it can be the cornerstone of future deep space missions,” Dr Kim said. “This is just the beginning. We don’t know how far this technology can change, how far we can push forward.”
He added: “The system could help us explore new planets, seek out new life, and go where no human has gone before – enabling never-ending discovery.”