VASIMR VX-200 plasma rocket achieves full power efficiency milestone

VASIMR VX-200 plasma rocket achieves full power efficiency milestone

beforeitsnews.com

At 200 kilowatts of power the plasma rocket delivers 5.7 Newtons of thrust at 72% efficiency and exhaust speed of 50 kilometers per second.

Many of the flight applications at the heart of our business model – orbital debris removal, satellite servicing, cargo flights to the Moon and Mars, and ejecting fast probes to the outer solar system

(visit the link for the full news article)

It is neat to hear that this form of propulsion seems to be working. When some form of technology like this is put into service then who knows what else will become of it. It could always lead to new ideas that might help the people down on Terra also. Aside from that I hope the engine will complete all the missions it is suppose to also.

beforeitsnews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by RedGolem
Thanks for posting this!

That link didn't work for me probably because I don't have that site listed as a trusted site like I have ATS as trusted. But here's the (hopefully?) same article at a link where you don't have to trust the site to read it:

nextbigfuture.com...

This is exciting news. VASIMIR had some interesting technical challenges so it's exciting to see they got it working in this non-space test, so maybe there will be a space test as early as 2014?

We'll see what happens in 2014!

reply to post by Arbitrageur


Arbitrageur
thanks for posting
I am glad they got it working also. I always like to see a new technology work so that maby some day we can make it better us all.
Thanks for the link also.

The exhaust travels at 50km per second? I am awestruck. This is pretty much what I was hoping for when I was like, seven or something. Im trembling a little, and I may wet myself.
The possibilities for something like this are pretty far reaching. I cannot wait to see this engine tech achieve its potential in the feild!!!!
Good luck VASIMR!

Good news!

Per Aspera Ad Astra!

Yes 50 KM per sec is pretty fast!
It still does need to be proven in the field now, I just hope that it will be. We still need to get past 2012 and all you know
Thanks to all who are posting.

This is very good news, and does show the validity of private companies, taking over from Nasa.
The potential of this is big, in regards to cheap launches, and it would cause less pollution too.
The only real concern is now developing it sufficently and proving it with test launches into space.
But they have certainly proven the concept and now we will just have to wait and see.

The theoretical limit for VASIMR is at 300km/s. For the terminal spacecraft speed you have to consider the fuel mass ratio. Having 80% mass as propellant you could reach 1.61 * ve.

One thing bugs me though. Having 72% efficiency at 200kw means 56kw waste heat to deal with.

reply to post by HEREFORD 1969


I don't know about the pollution but all the same I am glad it seems to be working. Again yes we need to get it into space now and see how it performs.
Hopefully the heating problem will be overcome also.
Thanks for posting again.

vasimr is an inspace propulsion system it can not launch from earth just like the ion system. you still need a hlv

yea the engine needs deep space vacuum to work, so we still need to get out from earth to space.
A rail launch is being looked at right now.

But the good thing about the plasma engine once in space it can get to things faster than just relying on gravitation projection from planets. Mars in 39 days at 123,000 per hour per Popular Science

reply to post by mysteryskeptic


Thirty nine days to Mars, wow that is fast, would not have thought it.
A rail launch system, that just sounds strange, would it really feasible?

would it kill you to go that fast

plasma engines are interesting,but they takes ages to reach full speed. youd never be able to say 'punch it,Chewie' and blast off at high warp.

Originally posted by RedGolem
reply to post by mysteryskeptic

 

Thirty nine days to Mars, wow that is fast, would not have thought it.
A rail launch system, that just sounds strange, would it really feasible?

NASA is looking into it:
www.space.com...

At the Kennedy Space Center, a 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) test-launch track could be installed between NASA's huge Vehicle Assembly Building – where shuttles are assembled for launch — and Launch Pad 39A, from where orbiters blast off.

But there are some challenges. To launch on an electrified track, for instance, the track would have to withstand at least 10 times the speeds commonly seen on tracks used for roller coasters, NASA scientists said.

I'm trained as an engineer and I understand many of the engineering problems this would pose. It actually would solve a some problems to set up a rail on the moon and launch a Mars mission from there, but that creates a whole lot of new problems, like the need for an infrastructure on the moon. So no matter how it's done, there are plenty of challenges to overcome.

reply to post by Arbitrageur


Arbitageur
I can see where it would work on the moon, but because of the gravity and atmosphere on Earth I would not have thought it possible. Since NASA is looking into it I hope the problems will get worked out. Launching a vehicle into orbit with out the need for a booster is something that has speculated on for a long time. Then the new plasma engine becomes even more useful.

This is great news, been following this tech for a while and it gives me hope.

Of course without a space rated fission reactor and a chemical rocket powerful enough to lift that reactor into orbit its going nowhere fast. The kind of vasimr that could get you to MARS in 39 days needs a lot of power. Much more than any current generation space technology provides.

Parallel development is needed.

That propulsion is 1.3lbs of thrust for 200KW. Surely we can do better than that. It is a start though. I see some possible uses for some deep space shots but it will require a nuclear pile for that kind of energy out to the asteroid belt for instance.

reply to post by wayouttheredude


wayouttheredude
you are right. That does not sound like a lot of thrust for that much power. Although is space the size and weight ratio are what I think would make it move valuable, and efficient.
Again thanks to everyone for posting.