‘Most powerful’ space magnet could lead to superconducting thrusters for deep space
The magnet demonstrator is so powerful, scientists had to work hard to prevent it from interfering with other instruments aboard the ISS.
A team of scientists from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, aims to reduce the space industry’s reliance on traditional chemical rocket propulsion.
The team is developing a new type of electric propulsion magnet. It is set to test the technology aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in the coming months.
To be precise, scientists from the Paihau-Robinson Research Institute at Victoria University are developing applied-field magnetoplasmadynamic (AF-MPD) thrusters. These use an applied magnetic field to accelerate ions to very high speeds.