How nuclear fusion rockets are about to launch a space revolution

Sandwiched between a print shop and an auto parts store on an industrial estate in Bletchley, a group of engineers are constructing a rocket engine that will run hotter than the Sun. After more than a decade of development the core technology still remains untested, but UK startup Puslar Fusion claims to be on the cusp of creating the world’s first practical nuclear fusion rocket engine. “Such a power source could enable an expansion in exploration within the solar system, with the potential to extract resources from bodies such as asteroids.” The booming space industry, propelled by renewed interest from government agencies and the emergence of private firms like SpaceX and Blue Origin, means there has been significant investment and research into nuclear fusion rockets in recent years. “Humanity has a huge need for faster propulsion in our growing space economy, and fusion offers 1,000 times the power of the conventional ion thrusters currently used in orbit,” Pulsar Fusion founder Richard Dinan said in July after announcing that his firm had finally begun construction of an eight-metre chamber that will he hopes will form the engine for the first nuclear fusion rocket ever built. “A single, one-megawatt direct fusion drive engine can handle any of those missions.” open image in gallery How nuclear fusion could be harnessed to create exhaust speeds of more than 500,000 miles per hour It is a massive task, and one that has proved too daunting for the current leaders within the private space industry.