NASA NIAC has funded studying the development of a constellation of spacecraft powered by the Helicity Drive, a compact and scalable fusion propulsion system.
In April 2, 2024 – Helicity Space had an investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures, the venture capital arm of Lockheed Martin. This was after a $5 million seed round of Helicity Space funding from investors including
Airbus Ventures, TRE Ventures, Voyager Space Holdings, E2MC Space, Urania Ventures and Gaingels in December, 2023.
Helicity is working on magneto-inertial fusion to generate high-energy plasma exhaust in short pulses, providing thrust without relying on radioactive fuels or large propellant masses. It is designed for scalability (from 100 kW to GW power levels) and compatibility with existing launch vehicles, potentially supporting missions from cis-lunar space to interstellar exploration. Compared to chemical rockets, it promises up to ten million times more energy per unit mass of fuel, allowing for agile trajectories, abort capabilities, and reduced radiation exposure for crews.
Helicity Drive remains in the early prototyping and experimental phase, with active lab work focused on plasma physics, magnetic confinement, and component testing (e.g., B-Dot probes and circuit boards). They work with Caltech and Los Alamos National Laboratory, and it receives support from programs such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s INFUSE and the Limitless Space Institute.
This innovative technology will enable rapid, multi-directional exploration of the heliosphere and beyond, providing unprecedented insights into the Sun’s vast influence on our solar system and its interaction with interstellar space. They are conducting a comprehensive feasibility study, including advanced modeling and experimental validation of the Helicity Drive’s thrust and power generation capabilities.
They will also design a realistic spacecraft architecture that integrates the propulsion system with scientific instruments capable of measuring key properties of the heliosphere and interstellar medium.
Each spacecraft will carry a suite of state-of-the-art scientific instruments to comprehensively measure plasma properties, magnetic fields, dust, and energetic particles, providing in-situ data from regions never before explored. This will address critical scientific questions, such as the true shape of the heliosphere and heliopause, the origin of anomalous cosmic rays, and the mechanisms driving turbulence in the heliospheric tail.
Finally, thye will develop a mission concept of operations that leverages the Helicity Drive’s variable specific impulse and high delta-V capability to speed-up and slow-down in order to capture key scientific data in different heliosphere regions, and the local interstellar medium along 6 different trajectories, maximizing scientific return. The successful implementation of this mission will not only revolutionize our understanding of the heliosphere and its implications for space radiation and habitability but also pave the way for future interstellar missions. By demonstrating the feasibility of fusion propulsion for deep-space exploration, including outer solar system probes and crewed missions to Mars, it will open new frontiers for scientific discovery and inspire future generations. The technological advancements and potential spinoffs resulting from this mission will also contribute significantly to the national economy.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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I have more confidence in something like this, or maybe other nuclear rockets, reaching Mars with a crew, than in Starship ever doing so. The former is experimental but shows great potential. The latter has demonstrated flaws, perhaps fatally systemic. The next launch should tell us more, but I am not hopeful and the testing plans are not even addressing the explosion “problem” or future issues about refueling in space etc.
He says, fully aware that chemical rockets have sent things to Mars multiple times, while nobody has yet demonstrated a working fusion rocket engine.
The thin veil separating reality and delusion is a nice thing to keep. The “fusion news” went from the already normalised “future-dated news” (company XYZ urgently announcing that they might do some stuff in 10 years) to “vibed news” (company XYZ remains in the permanent early prototyping and experimental phase, and feels good about doing stuff in 10 years).
The really interesting fusion news these days come translated into English – rarely, usually with modest achievements, but with no bs artistry.
Voodoo fusion.
Remember 5 years ago when Lockheed Martin (LockMart) announced fusion power was around the corner? They had some kind of linear device. Never heard about it again. Must be hard to reverse engineer that alien tech. Probably use 7-point torx head bolts /s.