APPLICATIONS
Expanding space exploration capabilities further than ever before
With power-to-mass ratios comparable to chemical rockets and fuel efficiencies comparable to solar electric propulsion, fusion propulsion can expand human and robotic exploration well beyond Mars, deeper into the solar system, and even to the interstellar neighborhood.
The vision of fusion propulsion and power is to enable an interplanetary civilization, harvest abundant interplanetary resources, take industries off-world and pave the way to make Earth a World Heritage Site.
"The short-lived Uranium Age will see the dawn of spaceflight; the succeeding era of fusion power will witness its fulfillment."
– Arthur C. Clarke, The Planets are not Enough (1961)
Robotic Space Exploration
Smaller-scale Helicity Drives will deliver commercial value early on by being comparable to the most powerful solar electric propulsion systems that fly today or are envisaged in the near future yet being able to scale up to high specific powers unattainable by solar or nuclear fission electric propulsion, enabling quicker and a more fuel-efficient exploration of the solar system with robotic payloads.
Human Space Exploration
With current chemical propulsion methods, a crewed mission to Mars and back would take about 30-months (about 9 months there and back, with a year waiting at Mars for orbits to align favorably). The constraint of orbit synchronization to minimize distance also opens a small window of opportunity only every two years approximately. The larger-scale Helicity Drive makes a round trip to Mars in under 4 months possible with 450 tons of payload, plenty for a large human crew, much expanded launch windows, and abort return capabilities.
U.S. National
Security
Faster and more efficient space travel is key to cis-lunar protection allowing the U.S. to quickly address issues and quickly recover space assets if compromised. Once presence is established on the Moon, this ability becomes even more important for planetary defense. The Helicity Drive provides the reusability, speed and fuel-efficiency needed to protect U.S. space assets today and with future expansion on the horizon.