China has been building its Tiangong space station and has already launched multiple supply missions. The space station’s first module makes use of ion thrusters that could significantly trim down the travel time to Mars. The technology will also reduce the amount of fuel required to make that journey, reports South China Morning Post.
The first module dubbed Tianhe was launched in April and is powered by 4 ion thrusters, which make used of electricity to accelerate ions for propulsion. The module could be the first spacecraft to leverage this technology to ferry astronauts to other planets, notes SCMP.
Mars travel to be shorter
Ion drives are more efficient than chemical propulsion, which is used on the International Space Station (ISS). To keep the ISS in orbit for a year, the thrusters require around 4 tons of rocket fuel. With the new technology, it’d need only 400kg of fuel to stay in orbit for the same amount of time, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It means a trip to Mars could be cut down from 8 months to just 39 days.
China is heavily relying on the new ion thrusters, in hopes to use them not just for space station but also for its future satellite constellation and nuclear-powered spacecraft that can carry humans to Mars as well, notes SCMP.
The technology has been in use for decades but wasn’t a mainstream option due to the fact the thrust produced isn’t very significant. Putting more pressure on thrusters could jeopardize astronauts’ safety and also shorten the lifespan of satellites.
Scientists have cracked the code
But researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences might have found a solution. One of its ion drives currently in works has been active for more than 11 months without a break, according to the news outlet.
A magnetic field ensures the particles do not damage or erode the engine, while a ceramic material prevents it from radiation.
“Space projects are usually very big,” a Beijing-based space scientist told SCMP. “A typical mission involves hundreds or even thousands of individuals. But the competition in space is essentially a competition over some very small but extremely important details.”
