I’ve all the time contended that the one largest shackle on humanity’s ankles isn’t gravity—it’s the tyranny of the rocket equation.
The mathematics is brutal: to go wherever fascinating in house, you want gas. However to hold that gas, you want extra gas to elevate the load of the gas. It’s a vicious cycle that has saved us tethered to Earth’s rapid neighborhood for many years. We’re primarily attempting to drive throughout the nation with solely the fuel in our tank, as a result of there aren’t any fuel stations on the freeway.
However this week, a growth caught my eye that feels prefer it may very well be the primary brick in constructing that cosmic freeway. Common Galactic, a startup based by former SpaceX engineer Halen Mattison, is getting ready to check a know-how that sounds virtually like magic: turning easy water into rocket gas, proper there within the vacuum of house.
If this works, we aren’t simply speaking a few new engine; we’re speaking about unlocking the Photo voltaic System. Let’s dive into what Mattison is planning and why this October launch on a Falcon 9 is likely one of the most important exams of the yr.
The “Gasoline Station” Drawback
Right here is the context we have to perceive why this issues. Proper now, each satellite tv for pc, each probe, and each astronaut is restricted by what they launch with. As soon as the tank is dry, the mission is over.
Common Galactic is betting on water as the answer. Why water? As a result of it’s secure, dense, and protected to launch. You don’t want advanced cryogenic freezers to retailer it such as you do with liquid hydrogen. However the true trick isn’t storing it; it’s what you do with it as soon as you might be up there.
In accordance with the most recent reviews I’ve reviewed, Mattison’s staff is constructing a system known as Genesis. Their upcoming mission entails a 1,100-pound satellite tv for pc that can try and show two very completely different propulsion strategies utilizing the identical tank of water.
The Two-Pronged Strategy
What fascinates me about Common Galactic’s design is that they aren’t selecting between uncooked energy and effectivity. They’re attempting to do each.
1. The Chemical Kick (The Muscle)
The primary mode depends on electrolysis. If you happen to keep in mind your highschool chemistry, that in case you run an electrical present via water ($H_2O$), you break up it into Hydrogen and Oxygen.
The Course of: They break up the water in orbit.The Consequence: They burn the hydrogen and oxygen collectively.The Impact: This creates a high-pressure, high-temperature response—a traditional rocket burn. That is what you want for quick maneuvers or altering orbits shortly.
2. The Electrical Glide (The Marathon Runner)
The second mode is the place issues get sci-fi. As an alternative of burning the fuel, they take the oxygen produced from electrolysis and ionize it.
The Course of: They apply a robust electrical present to show the oxygen into plasma.The Consequence: Utilizing magnetic fields, they shoot this plasma out the again.The Impact: That is “electrical propulsion” (much like ion thrusters). It offers a really low thrust, however it might probably run for a very long time. It’s excellent for sustaining orbit or slowly drifting to a brand new location with out losing tons of propellant.
Here’s a fast breakdown of why this hybrid strategy is so intelligent:
The Engineering Nightmare: Is It Definitely worth the Weight?
Now, I’ve to placed on my skeptic’s hat for a second. Whereas the idea is good, the physics are unforgiving.
The most important query mark hanging over Common Galactic is mass effectivity.
Give it some thought: to separate water, you want an electrolyzer. To ionize oxygen, you want heavy energy provides and magnets. To energy all of that, you want huge photo voltaic panels or batteries.
The Critique: Does the load of all this further equipment cancel out the advantages of utilizing water?
In case your “gas refinery” is so heavy that you would have simply introduced extra conventional gas as an alternative, the maths doesn’t work. That is the tightrope Mattison is strolling. The system needs to be gentle sufficient to make the conversion course of definitely worth the effort.
The “Acid” Check
There’s one other hidden hazard right here that I discovered notably fascinating. Ryan Conversano, a former NASA technologist and present advisor to the corporate, flagged a large threat: Corrosion.
Atomic oxygen and ionized plasma are extremely reactive. They like to “eat” different supplies.
If you’re producing oxygen plasma inside your engine, that plasma needs to react with the partitions of the thruster, the electronics, and the seals.It’s primarily like attempting to carry acid in a metallic bucket.
Designing supplies that may face up to this surroundings for years in house is a supplies science problem that has baffled engineers for many years. If Common Galactic has solved this, that alone is a breakthrough value billions.
Why This Check Adjustments All the pieces
So, why am I so excited a few take a look at which may fail?
Due to the place water is discovered. We all know there’s water ice on the Moon. We all know there’s water on Mars. We all know there’s water in asteroids.
If Common Galactic proves that we are able to take uncooked water and reliably flip it into each high-thrust chemical gas and high-efficiency electrical propellant, we cease needing to launch gas from Earth.
Step 1: Land on the Moon.Step 2: Mine ice.Step 3: Convert it to gas utilizing this tech.Step 4: Refuel ships in orbit.
That is the definition of In-Situ Useful resource Utilization (ISRU). It’s the distinction between a tenting journey the place you convey all your individual water, and constructing a home subsequent to a river.
Last Ideas
The upcoming October launch aboard the Falcon 9 isn’t only a tech demo; it’s a feasibility research for the long run economic system of house. If Mattison’s 1,100-pound satellite tv for pc can maneuver successfully with out turning right into a corroded husk, we may be trying on the engine that takes us to Mars—not as a result of it’s the quickest, however as a result of it runs on essentially the most considerable useful resource we have now.
I’ll be watching the telemetry from this launch like a hawk.
What do you suppose? Is water the final word house gas, or are we higher off specializing in nuclear thermal propulsion for the lengthy haul?
