First Light Fusion is developing an inertial fusion with a pulsed process. They fire physical projectiles at high speeds like 40 kilometers per second to generate fusion OR they may use high-power lasers to generate the fusion. They are working on methods with the targets and other systems to amplify the pressures generated and increase …
RocketStar has announced the first successful demonstration of their nuclear fusion-enhanced pulsed plasma FireStar™ Drive. They have enhanced electric drive space propulsion. Electric propulsion drives create small amounts of thrust but are significantly more fuel-efficient than conventional chemical rockets. Electric propulsion are ion and hall effect drives. They are like the tortoise to the chemical …
Helicity Space, a commercial space company developing in-space propulsion and power technology based on fusion power, announced an investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures, the venture capital arm of Lockheed Martin. This latest raise from Lockheed Martin Ventures comes on the heels of a $5 million seed round of Helicity Space funding from investors including Airbus …
A new 20 Tesla Superconducting magnet reduces the cost per watt of a fusion reactor by a factor of almost 40. MIT worked with Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a startup with over $2 billion in funding. The funders of CFS include Temasek Holdings (Singpore), the U.S. Department of Energy, Tiger Global Management, Bill Gates, Google and …
RocketStar, a US based startup, has successfully demonstrated an electric propulsion unit for spacecraft that uses nuclear fusion-enhanced pulsed plasma. During ground tests the process did create ionizing radiation and improved the base propulsion unit’s thrust by 50%. FireStar Drive markedly improves performance, utilizing high-speed protons from ionized water vapor. When protons interact with boron …
The DOE funding $42 million to support three hubs to develop inertial fusion. The hubs will be led by researchers at Colorado State University, the University of Rochester, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Projects funded by the program—known as Inertial Fusion Energy Science and Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR)—will bring together expertise and capabilities across DOE’s …
– Helicity Space got $5 million in seed round funding from several new investors including Airbus Ventures, TRE Ventures, Voyager Space Holdings, E2MC Space, Urania Ventures and Gaingels. There is no need to wait for terrestrial fusion power to begin using fusion propulsion in space. Pushing a spacecraft with short bursts of fusion can be …
Pulsar Fusion will make a linear nuclear fusion rocket propulsion system. They will heat hydrogen plasma with microwaves to create fusion propulsion. They will perform laboratory tests next year and in 2025 and then have an orbital test within three years. Pulsar recently partnered with aerospace R&D company Princeton Satellite Systems (PSS) for a study …
The NT Times had a recent article discussing laser nuclear fusion. Nextbigfuture has spoken with all of the nuclear fusion companies listed in the NY Times article as they all attended the 2023 International Conference on Inertial Fusion Sciences and Applications conference. Nextbigftuure covered detailed National Ignition Facility presentations six weeks ago at the 2023 …
The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) have made a new strategic partnership to accelerate the demonstration and commercialization of fusion energy. The partnership marks the UK’s first formal international fusion collaboration since the recent launch of the GBP650 million (USD799 million) Fusion Futures Programme. …
The D’Onghia magnetic shielding crew hat, or CREW HaT, is a system that uses electromagnetic coils to deflect cosmic radiation from astronauts. The system consists of: A ring of electrical coils positioned on arms roughly 5 meters from the spacecraft’s main body A Halbach Torus, a circular array of magnets that creates a stronger field …