Collaborate Disseminate
Under a US$33.7-million Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) contract, Lockheed Martin is developing a next-generation nuclear-reactor-powered spacecraft for the Joint Emergent Technology Supplying On-Orbit Nuclear (JETSON) High Power program.Continue … Continue reading Lockheed Martin tapped to build nuclear-powered deep-space probe
Recently NASA announced earlier this month that the 12 kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) – which is scheduled to form an integral part of the Lunar Gateway when it …read more Continue reading Lunar Gateway’s Advanced Solar Electric Propulsion Engine Passes Initial Qualification Tests
Over the last several months, we’ve been enjoying a front-row seat as [Jay Bowles] of Plasma Channel has been developing and perfecting his design for a high voltage multi-stage ionic …read more Continue reading High Voltage Ion Engines Take Trip on the High Seas
Florida’s “silent” flying dish-rack, powered by ionic propulsion, is on track for commercial rollout in 2024, according to Undefined Technologies, which has released new outdoor flight test video. We remain curious, but unconvinced it’ll be viable.Cont… Continue reading Undefined claims 4.5-min flight for its “silent” ion-propulsion drone
Anyone who’s looked into high-voltage experiments is likely familiar with ion lifters — spindly contraptions made of wire and aluminum foil that are able to float above the workbench on …read more Continue reading Multi-Stage Ion Thruster Holds Exciting Promise
With two successful flight tests in the bag, and just under US$2 million in seed funding, Florida company Undefined Technologies has unveiled the next generation of its “silent” commercial drone, which uses ionic propulsion instead of propellers.Contin… Continue reading Undefined’s next-gen “silent” ion propulsion drone: still noisy
The field of space vehicle design is obsessed with efficiency by necessity. The cost to do anything in space is astronomical, and also heavily tied to launch weight. Thus, any …read more Continue reading Mercury Thrusters: A Worldwide Disaster Averted Just In Time
Although we generally think of flying saucers as craft used by aliens in sci-fi movies, MIT scientists are now proposing utilizing one of their own design to explore the Moon. The vehicle would hover above the lunar surface via the force of electrostat… Continue reading MIT-designed “flying saucer” may one day hover its way across the Moon
As much as we love Star Trek, we have to admit there are some continuity problems. For example, in Spock’s Brain, the alien-of-the-week’s ion drive gave Scotty engineering envy. However, in The Menagerie, the computer identifies a Starfleet …read more
In a development that could help slow the proliferation of space junk, the orbit of a communications satellite has for the first time been altered using solid iodine as a propellant. The Beihangkonshi-1 smallsat made the maneuver earlier this month usi… Continue reading Satellite fires up iodine-fueled ion thruster for the first time