An unmanned cargo capability based on VASIMR propulsion offers significant cost savings to NASA and commercial lunar exploration programs. VASIMR can deliver twice as much payload to the lunar surface, compared to chemical propulsion, if used as a ‘tug boat’ between Low Earth Orbit and Low Lunar Orbit. At the present, chemical propulsion always has to be used to climb out of Earth’s atmosphere and into a Low Earth Orbit, in addition to the final lunar landing descent. Beyond VX-200 (VASIMR Experimental, 200 kW) and VF-200 (VASIMR Flight, 200 kW) demonstrations, the Ad Astra Rocket Company plans to fill a developing high power transportation niche near Earth for orbit maintenance of large space structures for commerce and tourism and satellite repositioning, retrieval and re supply. Longer term applications for which VASIMR may be ideally suited include: the delivery of large payloads to the lunar surface, recovery of space resources from asteroids and comets and propelling cargo and human missions to Mars and beyond. More at: www.AdAstraRocket.com en.wikipedia.org
Video Rating: 4 / 5
VASIMR VX-200 firing for 25 seconds. Plasma diagnostics placed 50 cm away from the thruster exit plane can be seen glowing red hot at 1000 C (~1800 F) after the firing is over. The force from the argon plasma exhaust broke off a large piece of graphite that was used as a plasma shield for sensitive force measurements. www.adastrarocket.com
Video Rating: 5 / 5
27 Responses
@raptorbsp
thats not possible,
unless you use oversized tanks, i doubt it.
@raptorbsp
Dude read the description.It says that they plan to use it for Lunar programme.How you gonna reach Moon in a several hours?
@aMammoth The trip will last several hours, not days like in Apollo program.
@dajsinjo To power VASIMR plasma rocket.
this is kind of fucking awesome
2013?
why are the panels so spread, is it because of the jet?
What pisses me off Ill be long dead before any of this becomes a reality.
yeah it could use a nuclear reactor
simply incredible. good luck to all of you involved
Amazing video.
Yeah wow, it needs lots of energy.
So would the VASMIR unit be making trips back and forth between the earth and moon? If so, that’s a great idea.
amazing
That’s the largest solar panels I’ve ever seen!
WOW !
Make it so!
@thej0hnson Thin film solar can work, but not farther then Mars.
I just watched ‘Can We Make it to Mars?: NOVA scienceNOW’ and I could swear I saw you working next to a rocket. Were you in that movie?
5.7N of thrust which is about 1.28 Lbs of force. This result for the VX-200 was reported by AdAstra on November 23, 2010. It exceeded there expectations of 5N.
@Staceyrae100 from what I’ve heard it would require a nuclear generator, that is the main tech holding this kind of project back ATM iirc
VX-200 – is this the 200 kW version?
But will it blend?
Will you be able to generate enough electricity for a trip to Mars. Can solar panel work or will it have to use nuclear power?
@benwl What was the created thrust?
But will it float?
Cool