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Copernical Team
NASA selects five teams to study Lunar science and sample analysis
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Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site can launch new-generation rockets
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Populous engaged by RS&H for New Mexico's Spaceport America Master Plan
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Imaging satellite takes piggyback ride on spacecraft
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Upcoming ISS project will test 3D materials for satellite manufacturing
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NASA and partners achieve fastest space-to-ground laser comms link
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Sidus Space selected by OneWeb to manufacture satellite hardware
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USAF awards contract to Above: Orbital and Ascent Solar for on-orbit PV production
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What if Titan Dragonfly had a fusion engine?
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In a little over four years, NASA's Dragonfly mission will launch into space and begin its long journey towards Titan, Saturn's largest moon. As part of the New Frontiers program, this quadcopter will explore Titan's atmosphere, surface, and methane lakes for possible indications of life (aka. biosignatures).
This will commence in 2034, with a science phase lasting for three years and three and a half months. The robotic explorer will rely on a nuclear battery—a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermal Generator (MMRTG)—to ensure its longevity.
But what if Dragonfly were equipped with a next-generation fusion power system? In a recent mission study paper, a team of researchers from Princeton Satellite Systems demonstrated how a direct fusion drive (DFD) could greatly enhance a mission to Titan. This New Jersey-based aerospace company is developing fusion systems that rely on the Princeton Field-Reversed Configuration (PFRC).
This research could lead to compact fusion reactors that could lead to rapid transits, longer-duration missions, and miniature nuclear reactors here on Earth.
Experts: Metallic object that crashed into New Jersey home was a meteorite
