Pulsar Fusion has received funding to develop spacecraft powered by nuclear fusion. Source: NASA.
Pulsar Fusion, a rocket company in the United Kingdom, has been awarded UK government funding towards the development of nuclear fusion-powered rockets that could travel beyond the Solar System within our lifetime.
The company currently manufactures Europe’s largest and most powerful spacecraft engine, the independently tested by University of Southampton scientists in 2021 — a project it was also awarded government funding for.
The latest funding comes from the UK Space Agency (UKSA) for the development of Pulsar Fusion’s ‘Integrated nuclear fission-based power systems for electric propulsion.’ The project will also be supported by Nuclear AMRC and the Southampton and Cambridge Universities.
Head of Operations, Dr James Lambert, says, “Pulsar has built and tested the most powerful electric propulsion engines in Europe. Combining this part of our propulsion portfolio with nuclear fission reactor technology is perfectly suited to the company’s skillsets and I am delighted that this has been recognized by the UKSA. The project will help us to build relationships and gather important data that will contribute towards our longer-term ambitions for nuclear fusion propulsion.”
Nuclear fusion is an experimental method of energy production which fuses hydrogen atoms together. The process produces more energy and requires less radioactive fuel than nuclear fission, the method current nuclear reactors use. Fusion is the same method that the Sun and other stars use to create energy, and many scientists see it as a future method of clean, green energy for the world. Currently, a sustainable and effective manmade fusion reactor is yet to exist. However, there has been significant progress in recent years.
Pulsar Fusion clearly sees the potential of nuclear fusion for the future of space travel. In a press release, the company states, “While nuclear fusion may be the answer to the energy crisis it is also the answer to in-orbit satellite management, in addition to deep space exploration. [Pulsar] believes the only way the human race can ever leave the solar system in a lifetime is with fusion propulsion.”
