New Rocket Thruster Could Enable Endless Deep Space Exploration

Scientists at the University of Southampton are testing a propulsion system that uses metals as fuel, potentially allowing spacecraft to travel indefinitely.

• The new propulsion system can utilize metals found on comets and moons, such as iron, aluminum, and copper.
• Current spacecraft propulsion relies on rare gas phase fuels like xenon and krypton, which are hard to source in space.
• The thruster, named Super Magdrive, is being developed in collaboration with British space firm Magdrive and has received £1 million in funding from the UK government.
• Lead scientist Dr. Minkwan Kim, who previously designed a plasma thruster for SpaceX's Falcon 9, believes this technology could open up vast new frontiers in space exploration.
• The system could allow spacecraft to harvest fuel during their journey, enabling missions to regions of the universe previously thought unreachable.

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