This is an excellent summary video. It conjures up more questions than answers, but maybe that's a good thing. What powers a VASIMR engine when in interplanetary space? A nuclear reactor? A radio-isotope themoelectric generator? Something else? Can a VASIMR rocket launch a spacecraft from Earth? The surface of Earth's Moon? Can a VASIMR rocket land on Mars and re-launch into orbit? How far are VASIMR engines from testing in space? How far are they from actual production and use?
Wonderful to see the working full size engine! How is this not going to be THE space engine for every deep space mission in the near future? It would certainly solve SpaceX problem of refuelling Methalox powered rockets in space for Mars trips.
I'm guessing it is a company secret for some reason, but he fails to mention what kind of fuel it runs on, he's just mentioning plasma and the sun is it running on hydrogen plasma without igniting the hydrogen somehow ???
This is an excellent summary video. It conjures up more questions than answers, but maybe that's a good thing. What powers a VASIMR engine when in interplanetary space? A nuclear reactor? A radio-isotope themoelectric generator? Something else? Can a VASIMR rocket launch a spacecraft from Earth? The surface of Earth's Moon? Can a VASIMR rocket land on Mars and re-launch into orbit? How far are VASIMR engines from testing in space? How far are they from actual production and use?
Wonderful to see the working full size engine! How is this not going to be THE space engine for every deep space mission in the near future? It would certainly solve SpaceX problem of refuelling Methalox powered rockets in space for Mars trips.
Because it has never been tested in space yet…
This is rad
Amazing. I love it.
FTL radio waves? CO2 gas?
Does anyone know when this bad boy is launch to space?
I'm guessing it is a company secret for some reason, but he fails to mention what kind of fuel it runs on, he's just mentioning plasma and the sun is it running on hydrogen plasma without igniting the hydrogen somehow ???