When planning a mission in the spaceone of the main costs concerns the launchers, or the rockets that launch the spacecraft beyond the Earth’s orbit. For most nations that own this type of vehicle, it is of paramount importance to reduce fuel costs for takeoff or, alternatively, limit the number of launches. There China, However, he is working on an alternative solution that is a bit reminiscent of old-fashioned Jules Verne science fiction: shoot a vehicle in space with a cannon.
In the 1865 novel From Earth to the Moon, Verne describes a mechanism for sending an object to the Moon. The protagonists of the book create a gigantic cannon called Columbiad and load him with a series of bullets. One of these is thrown so far that it orbits the Moon. Nearly 50 years later, pioneering director George Méliès adapted the scene into his novel-inspired short film of the same name, in which a humanoid satellite is wounded by a bullet.
The futuristic Chinese project
The Chinese government now he is trying to replicate this idea with one cutting-edge technology. Instead of using gunpowder, like a conventional weapon, the experimental launcher will use electromagnetism. Scientists are working to build a huge one rail gun able to push 50-ton spacecraft to one speed of Mach 1.6equivalent to 1957 kilometers per hour.
According to South China morning post, China’s plan to save on space rocket fuel appears to be going smoothly. The project, renamed Tengyun was started in 2016 and is the only one of its kind in the world. Although it is still in experimental phaseexperts are already throwing objects on a two kilometer long track reaching the speed of a thousand kilometers per hour.
How railguns work
Electromagnetic cannons, or railguns, are systems that science fiction has been dreaming about for decades now. It is essentially about catapults that exploit the power of magnets and of electric current to accelerate projectiles a supersonic speeds. This technology was originally studied for war purposes, so its use as a spacecraft thruster still represents an issue uncharted territory.
The idea of using railguns actually attracted several nations, but even the most technological powers had to give up due to the high costs and the lack of results applicable to everyday contexts. According to a report by The Defense Postin 15 years the US Department of Defense He ran over 500 million dollars in a project to create a electromagnetic cannon without however obtaining satisfactory results. In 2021, the US military put an end to the dream and turned its attention to other experiments, such as swarms of drones controlled by artificial intelligence.
Chinese engineers are convinced that the technology of electromagnetic rail propulsion is feasible and safe for any pilot. The aircraft that will exploit the railguns will still have to use the fuelbut the required quantity will be significantly lowerespecially during the first take-off phase.
This article previously appeared on Wired en Espanol
Tags: Space China build electromagnetic cannon launch rockets
