A small fusion engine such as Direct Fusion Drive would be useful for many deep- and inner-space missions, such as Lagrange points, manned Mars and lunar missions, a Pluto orbiter and lander, and the 550 AU solar gravitational lens. The novel superconducting coils have applications to additional advanced propulsion concepts and scientific payloads. One example is the AMS-02 experiment for which a low-temperature superconducting coil option was built and tested but later swapped out for a traditional magnet with a longer lifetime. Other advanced propulsion techniques require superconducting coils including the VASIMR electric thruster and the PuFF fission-fusion thruster. There has been considerable research on using superconducting coils for radiation shielding; these coils may also be useful for space materials processing and precision formation flying.
There are many military and civil applications of the fusion engine and the coils. Military space applications include high-power Earth satellites with radar, laser, or communications payloads. There are wider applications including generators for wind turbines, high efficiency motors, particle accelerators, energy storage, and terrestrial fusion reactors. Small terrestrial fusion reactors of the PFRC type have unique application to remote and mobile applications, such as military forward power and disaster relief, as well as high-intensity energy applications like desalination. This project would contribute greatly to this wider body of work.
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