June2021

FusionEnergyforSpacePropulsionMakingFusionSpacePropulsionARealityby2030

Thenextspaceraceisnotsimplyintoorbit;itistotheMoon,Mars,andbeyond.Theglobalcompetitionisfierce,andthestakesarehigh—fromlandingthefirsthumansonMarstoharvestingthelimitlesswealthofasteroids,andmuchmore.Fusionpropulsionisthebestpathtowinningthis“DeepSpaceRace.”ItistheonlytechnologythatcantakecargoandpeopletoMarsandbeyondandthenreturnthemhomequickly.

Fortunately,fusionpropulsiontechnologyhasadvancedconsiderablyinrecentyears,andnewconceptsarereadytodaytomovetowardsflight.Atargeted$40millionfundingprogram,takingfromsuccessfulaspectsoftheDARPAandARPA-Eexperiences,candrivetransformativegrowthinthisgame-changingindustry.

The Stakes of the Deep Space Race U.S.innovationinchemicalpropulsionandsatellitetechnologyhasallowedittomaintainaclearbutfragileleadinspaceexploration.Thisleadcanbeaspringboardtoevengreateropportunities.Ourexplorers—inboththepublicandprivatesectors—wanttogobeyondEarthorbit(i)tocolonizetheMoonandMars,(ii)mineasteroidsfortrillionsofdollarsinresources,(iii)defendEarthfromcomets&asteroids,and(iv)searchforextraterrestriallifewithinoursolarsystemonthemoonsofJupiterandSaturn.AglobalcompetitionTheChinesegovernmentclaimsitwillbethefirsttocolonizeMarsandreachasteroids.Itisfundingthoseambitionsaccordingly,makingheavyinvestmentsintonuclearandadvancedpropulsiontechnologiesthatreportedlydwarfcurrentU.S.efforts.TheChineseandRussiangovernmentshaveannouncedplanstobuildalunarbasebyasearlyas2031,andfromtheretomoveintotherestofthesolarsystem.TheDeepSpaceRacewillimpactthebalanceofpoweronEarthNationsthatcanbuildsignificantspaceoutpostsandunlocktheresourcesofasteroidswillhaveaccesstounparalleledeconomicmight.Thefirstnationtobringbackmaterials(orevenlife)fromthemoonsofSaturnorJupiterwilldominatescientificprogress.ThosenationswiththetechnologytowintheDeepSpaceRacewillhaveasustainedadvantageinnationalsecuritymatters.

Fusion Propulsion Will Decide

the Deep Space Race

ChemicalpropulsioncannotcompeteintheDeepSpaceRaceWhileeffectivefortransportingpeopleandmaterialintolowEarthorbitsincethe1950s,repeatlunartransitsandtripstoMarsandbeyondareseverelyconstrained.TraveltoMarsonachemicalrockettakesnearlyayear,andcanonlyhappenatlimitedintervals,one-way,withmarginallysizedpayloads.Chemicalpropulsionislimitedtosendingmodestlysizedroboticprobesonone-waymissionsbeyondMars,leavingthebroaderSolarSysteminaccessibletohuman-ledexploration.FusionpropulsiontechnologieswilldeterminethewinnerFusionpropulsionsystemsarenowunderdevelopmentbyanarrayofprivate-sectorstartups.Fusionwillmakeitpossibleforheavierpayloads—andeventuallyhumans—toventuretoMarsandbeyond,whilereturninghomequicklywithplentyofsafetymargin.Fusionpropulsionisupto100timesmorefuel-efficientthanchemicalpropulsion,whilestillmaintaininglargethrusts—makingitthebestoptionfortransportinglargepayloadstodistantdestinationsorferryingcargotoandfromtheMoon.FusionspacecraftpropulsionisonthelaunchpadRecentadvancementsinfusiontechnologyareacceleratingtheviabilityoffusionpoweronEarth.Yetfusionpropulsioncouldprogressevenfastertowardsdemonstrationthanterrestrialfusionpower.Afusionspacecraftdoesnotneedtomaintainthesamehigh-intensityoperatingconditionsasaterrestrialfusionpowerplant,nordoesitrequirecomplexengineeringtocaptureenergy.Avarietyofprivate-sectorfusionpropulsiontechnologiesarenowunderdevelopment,eachofwhichisseekingtoleveragerecentbreakthroughsinfusionplasmaphysics,materials,modeling,andsimulation,tocreateaspacecraftpropulsionprototypethisdecade.

SampleMission Estimates-ChemicalPropulsion Estimates-FusionPropulsionColonizingMars • 7-9months

• Verylimitedflightwindows• Smallpayloads

• 3months• Flynearlyanytime,thereandback• Colony-levelpayloads

MiningtheAsteroidBelt

• 10+years• Visitsandsampleextractiononly

• ~4years• Returntripwithcommercialpayloads

PlanetaryDefense

• Notusablefordeflectingcometsorreachingdistantobjects

• Abletodeflectasteroidsandcomets,evenwithinlimitedtimewindows

• AbletoreachunknownpassingobjectsExploringtheMoonsofJupiter&Saturn

• 3.5–7years• Smallprobesonly

• 0.5–2years• Roundtrips,bringingbacksamples• Humantripseventuallypossible

Leveraging the “ARPA” Model to Drive Development

The“ARPA”modelbringsnewtechnologiestocommercialrealityTheAdvancedResearchProjectsAgencyor“ARPA”concept—whetheritbeDARPAfordefenseapplications,ARPA-Eforenergyapplications,orelsewhere—hasprovenoneofthemostsuccessfulgovernmentprogramsinthehistoryofU.S.sciencefunding.Forpenniesonthedollar,theARPAconceptacceleratesthebillionsofdollarsotherwiseinvestedinbasicR&D,byidentifyingandtransformingthegoodideasthatresultintocommercialize-ableinnovations.ThishappensbecauseARPAprogramsfocusonbringingininnovatorstoleadmilestone-basedprograms,thataimtomovetechnologiesbeyondgovernmentsupportandintotheprivatesector.FusionpropulsioninnovatorsandresearchershavereachedthethresholdofwheretheywouldbenefitfromanARPAmodeltotaketheirconceptsfromthedrawingboardtotheteststand—andeventuallyintospaceitself.SpacecraftfusionpropulsionneedsitsownARPA-styleprogramSuchaprogramcantransformU.S.explorationandbeneficialuseofthesolarsystem.ThisprogramcouldbebasedwithinNASA—theNASAInnovativeAdvancedConcepts(NIAC)programfundsdisruptivepropulsiontechnologiesforexample,butatasmallfractionofevenasingleARPA-Efundingprogram.Itcouldalsoexistasaseparate“ARPA-S,”withNASAandtheSpaceForceaspotentialanchortenants,andwithtechnicalsupportfromDOE.EvenmodestfundingprogramscanhavetransformationalimpactsAninitial$40millionprogramwoulddirectlysupportexperimentsoffusionpropulsionconceptsandthedevelopmentofcriticalsupportingsystems(suchasshielding&powerelectronics).FundscanalsosupportthedevelopmentofprototypemachinesthatreachoperationalconditionsonEarth.Thesewouldbridgethe“valleyofdeath”thatplaguesinnovativetechnologiesandhelpreadythefieldforprivatesectorinvestment—justasARPA-Ehasdoneforterrestrialfusionpower,andDARPAhasdoneformanyothertechnologies.

FIARecommendation

AnARPA-stylefusionpropulsionfundingprogram,appropriatedjust$40million,wouldbealow-costeffortwithtransformativeapplications.ForlessthanthecostofasingleFalcon9rocketlaunch(and1/20ththecostofaMarsrover),asuccessfulprogramhasthepotentialtotransformthewaywelookattheuniverseandourselves,unlockpotentiallytrillionsofdollarsinscientificandeconomicinnovation,andsecureAmericaninterestsforthiscenturyandthenext.ReadMore:NewSpaceAgeHamperedbyOldTechnology(BaltimoreSun) ChinaandRussiaAreTeamingUpintheNewSpaceRace(Bloomberg) SpaceMiningCouldBecomeaRealThing—andItCouldBeWorthTrillions(CNBC) TheDirectFusionDriveThatCouldGetUstoSaturninJust2Years(PopularMechanics)ScientistDevelopsNewFusionRocketthatCouldTakeHumanstoMarsinShortTime(IBT)