The most abundant metal known to man is iron. It’s everywhere. This is true not only on Earth, but also in space. Astro engineers have discovered a way to use iron, or just about any metal, as plasma rocket fuel.
We already know that some metals are highly flammable. Lithium reacts with water and burns very violently. Magnesium and titanium are commonly used in fireworks because they produce intense flames and sparks. Aluminum, which makes up about 8% of the metal in the Earth’s crust, is already used in solid rocket propellants.
But iron? Iron oxide is an important component of thermite, but it is not commonly thought of as a fuel source.
Magdrive’s space engineers have developed a unique plasma thruster for use in space that can use almost any type of metal as a fuel source. This means the spacecraft does not need to return to Earth for refueling. Instead, comets, asteroids, moons, or anything else floating around in the vastness of space can be harvested for their metallic contents to be used as fuel.
They call it Super Mag Drive.
The process begins with solar panels that collect energy and store it in capacitors. The stored energy is then released at a very high rate of over 1,000 volts, ionizing the metal. The process creates a train of dense, hot plasma “bullets” within a confined area that can be accelerated using a magnetic field and “fired” in a direction to create thrust.
A traditional chemical rocket will still be needed to launch the vehicle into space. Plasma rockets don’t have enough thrust to lift off from the ground, let alone leave Earth’s atmosphere. However, once in the vacuum of space, plasma thrusters have no problem propelling and maneuvering the aircraft.
mag drive
The SuperMagdrive is said to generate thrust “an order of magnitude higher than similarly sized electric propulsion systems.” In scientific terms, this generally means 10 times more. That said, Howe Industries is developing a pulsed plasma rocket engine design that delivers 100,000 N (73,756 lbf) of thrust and a specific impulse of 5,000. I haven’t seen the thrust numbers for the Super Mag Drive yet.
Scientists at the University of Southampton are working with UK-based Magdrive to validate the thrust capabilities of plasma propulsion systems.
Dr. Min-kwan Kim, chief scientist at the University of Southampton, said: “The amount of fuel a spacecraft has is limited because it costs a lot of money and energy to launch a spacecraft into space.” “But these new thrusters can be powered by any metal that can burn, including iron, aluminum, and copper. You’ll be able to land there and collect what you need before taking off.” With a full tank. ”
For now, Magdrive is focused on satellites. By using Super Magdrive technology, we can not only significantly reduce fuel costs by providing a thruster that uses metal, a readily available and abundant fuel, but also reduce the weight of the payload to achieve the intended trajectory. We believe that we can maintain the safe operation of satellites on the ground.
Almost quoting Bradbury himself, Dr. Kim said, “This system will help us explore new planets, look for new life, go places humans have never been before, and create endless “It may make discovery possible,” he added.
In January 2023, Operation Get it Up launched the first Super Magdrive on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Transporter-6 mission. Initial reports confirm that the deployment was successful, but no further performance updates have been provided. We know that Magdrive intends to fire a plasma thruster five times more powerful than the last one for a June 2025 test called Operation “So Much for Subtlety.”
Source: University of Southampton
