Direct Fusion Drive (DFD) is a conceptual, low radioactivity, nuclear-fusion rocket engine, designed to produce both thrust and electric power, suitable for interplanetary spacecraft. The concept is based on the Princeton field-reversed configuration reactor, invented in 2002 by Samuel A. Cohen. It is being modeled and experimentally tested at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility, as well as modeled and evaluated by Princeton Satellite Systems (PSS).[1][2] As of 2018, a direct fusion drive project driven by NASA is said to have entered its simulation phase, presented as the second phase of the concept's evolution.[3]
- ^ Elvis, Martin (2021). Asteroids how love, fear, and greed will determine our future in space. Yale University Press. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-300-25838-7. OCLC 1264136457.
- ^ "The Direct Fusion Drive That Could Get Us to Saturn in Just 2 Years". Popular Mechanics. 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
- ^ Ford, Priyanca. "Council Post: The Race To Carbon Neutral: Fusion Energy And Machine Learning". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-08.