{"id":12033,"date":"2025-04-11T22:46:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T22:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/12033\/"},"modified":"2025-04-11T22:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T22:46:17","slug":"sunbird-a-nuclear-fusion-powered-rocket-could-help-reach-pluto-in-just-4-years-report-technology-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/12033\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunbird, a nuclear fusion powered rocket could help reach Pluto in just 4 years: Report | Technology News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elon Musk\u2019s SpaceX wants to push the boundaries of space exploration, but a British startup named Pulsar Fusion is working on an ambitious nuclear fusion powered rocket called Sunbird.<\/p>\n

The world\u2019s brightest minds have been trying their hands on nuclear fusion technology for decades now, but despite several attempts and breakthroughs, haven\u2019t been able to replicate the inner workings of stars anywhere on Earth.<\/p>\n

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In a statement to CNN, Richard Dinan, the CEO and founder of Pulsar Fusion said that \u201cit\u2019s very unnatural to do fusion on Earth. Fusion doesn\u2019t want to work in an atmosphere, Space is a far more logical, sensible place to do fusion, because that\u2019s where it wants to happen anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n

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And while Sunbird is still in early stages of construction and has numerous challenges ahead, Pulsar Fusion says it has planned an orbital demonstration for 2027.<\/p>\n

Also, the nuclear fusion powered rocket could help spacecrafts reach speeds of up to 805,000 kms per hour, which is much faster than the Parker Solar Probe, the fastest object ever built that peaks out at 692,000 kms per hour. If the nuclear fusion powered rocket becomes operational, it would cut the time required to reach Mars by half and reach Pluto in just four years.<\/p>\n

\"Pulsar Pulsar Fusion says it will test Sunbird in orbit sometime in 2027. (Image Source: Pulsar Fusion)
\nHow would Sunbird help reduce interplanetary travel time?<\/p>\n

Unlike traditional chemical rockets like Starship, Sunbird won\u2019t be operating independently but will attach to larger spacecraft to help them cover interplanetary distances. \u201cWe launch them into space, and we would have a charging station where they could sit and then meet your ship. Ideally, you\u2019d have a station somewhere near Mars, and you\u2019d have a station in low Earth orbit, and the (Sunbirds) would go back and forth\u201d, Dinan told CNN.<\/p>\n

He went on to say that the first Sunbird(s) will be used to shuttle satellites in orbit, but they can also be used to deliver heavy payloads (up to 2,000 kgs) to Mars in just six months.<\/p>\n

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However, there are several significant technical challenges in making nuclear fusion powered rockets a reality. Since these systems are large and heavy, companies like Sunbird may have a hard time making lightweight and miniaturising them.<\/p>\n

Like Pulsar Fusion, companies like Helicity Space and General Atomics, which are backed by Lockheed Martin and NASA are also working on nuclear fusion reactors, which they plan to test sometime in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd<\/p>\n

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