NASA has revealed it is funding the development of a landmark pulsed plasma rocket that it hopes will enable “a whole new era in space exploration”.
The rocket is hoped to take future astronauts to Mars in a journey that would take just 2 months – less than half the time that is currently possible.
A one-way trip to the Red Planet takes roughly about nine months, with current technology, according to Nasa.
But for a round trip, it would take the best part of two years.
This is because astronauts must wait about three months on Mars to make sure Earth and Mars are in a suitable location to make the trip back home.
Feasibly, it could take as little as seven months for a return trip with this next-generation rocket technology.
The Pulsed Plasma Rocket (PPR), under development by Howe Industries and funded by Nasa, would completely revolutionise the process of getting humans and cargo on Mars.
“The future of a space-faring civilisation will depend on the ability to move both cargo and humans efficiently and rapidly,” Nasa said in a recent statement.
“However, no such technologies are currently available.”
The PPR propulsion system may be able to generate up to 100,000 newtons of thrust with a high specific impulse (Isp) of 5,000 seconds.
These numbers paint a picture of an incredibly efficient rocket system that requires much less fuel than traditional rockets.
One of the biggest hurdles in getting people to Mars is that rockets simply cannot carry enough propellant to get all the way there.
Rockets tend to use too much fuel during take-off to complete a typical nine month mission to Mars.
A refuelling base on the Moon is one solution, but another is developing a brand new propulsion system.
The PPR will also allow much heavier spacecraft, equipped with shielding to protect against Galactic Cosmic Rays, to travel further into space.
This in tow will help protect astronauts against the cancerous radiation on their journeys to the Red Planet, and beyond.
It comes as SpaceX’s Starship – another of Nasa’s options in getting humans to Mars – prepares for its fourth test flight.
While Elon Musk’s space company has yet to reveal an official date, the launch is scheduled for late May or early June 2024.
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