British company Pulsar Fusion has announced the development of a revolutionary Sunbird fusion engine that could cut travel time to Mars in half and to Pluto by up to four years. The project, which has been secretly developed for 10 years, is planned to be tested in Earth orbit by 2027, which could be a breakthrough in the space industry.
Stellar energy
Unlike conventional chemical-fueled rockets, Sunbird uses nuclear fusion, a process that powers stars. It combines light atoms such as hydrogen at extreme temperatures, generating millions of times more energy than burning hydrocarbons, and without radioactive waste. The engine will work as a “space tug”: small vehicles will attach to spacecraft, replacing traditional engines and reducing fuel mass.
“Space is ideal for fusion – there’s no atmosphere there to interfere with the process on Earth,” explains Pulsar CEO Richard Dinan. According to him, the company has already built two of Europe’s largest engine test chambers and is preparing for orbital experiments.
Why is space better than Earth?
Nuclear fusion on Earth requires enormous energy inputs to contain the plasma, but in a vacuum the conditions are close to natural. Instead of circular tokamaks, as in Earth’s reactors, Sunbird uses linear magnetic systems that heat the helium-3 plasma, pushing protons to propel. This technology is inefficient for power generation, but ideal for space where speed and mass of fuel are critical.
“In the future, our tugs will meet spacecraft and replace their engines with fusion engines,” Dinan compares. This will make it possible to cover the distance to Mars in 6 months 9-12, missions to asteroids will be reduced from three years to one or two, and travel to the edges of the Solar System, such as Pluto, will be reduced from ten to four years. “High thrust in general will allow entire bases to be delivered to the Moon in just one flight,” notes Aaron Knoll of Imperial College London.
Competition and challenges
The first Sunbird components will be tested in orbit by the end of 2026, and a test version with a linear reactor will be launched in 2027. If the tests are successful, full-fledged engines will begin to be used in 5 years. In addition to interplanetary missions, the technology could accelerate the extraction of resources on the Moon (such as helium-3 for future reactors) or the deployment of bases on other planets.
Pulsar Fusion is not the only company working on fusion engines. Startup Helicity Space has received funding from Lockheed Martin, and NASA is testing nuclear fission reactors for missions to Mars. However, the main obstacle for all is the miniaturization of systems.
Despite Pulsar Fusion’s optimism, fusion remains one of humanity’s most challenging technologies. However, if Sunbird succeeds, it will open up a new era – when traveling to neighboring planets will become a common practice, not a feat.
According to globenewswire.com
