Using the new propulsion system, and in terms of thrust, the rocket could potentially generate up to 22,481 pounds of force (100,000 Newtons) with a specific impulse (Isp) of 5,000 seconds, for ...

In a recent paper, Leiden Professor Florian Neukart proposes how future missions could rely on a novel propulsion concept known as the Magnetic Fusion Plasma Drive (MFPD).

Rosatom’s propulsion system uses a magnetic plasma accelerator, which it hopes will reduce space travel time. Mars is 140 million miles from Earth, meaning a 30-day journey would require an ...

The prototype already achieves a jet pressure of 24,000 newtons per square meter with 400 watts of ... Tang’s approach ...

The sails, which have already been built into small satellites, use plasmas to propel in the same way sailboats use wind.

More information: Chen Cui et al, Vlasov simulations of electric propulsion beam, Plasma Sources Science and Technology (2024). DOI: 10.1088/1361-6595/ad98c0.

Microwave plasma dynamics encompasses the study of ionised gases generated by high frequency electromagnetic fields and their complex interactions with the surrounding medium. At the heart of this ...

Amin Taziny is currently a PostDoctoral Associate at the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he focuses on computational simulations of plasma ...