Helicity Space is a California based company developing fusion-enhanced ion drives for spacecraft, with the eventual goal of reaching a fully self sustaining fusion engine.
The design uses a series of impinging plasma jets, which are peristaltically compressed through a magnetic nozzle to achieve ignition.
The jets take advantage of a newly discovered plectonemic configuration, an emergent stable state in plasmas.
(See Lavine & You, 2021).
Background Resources
https://www.helicityspace.com/
Lavine, E. S., & You, S. (2021). Observations of a plectonemic configuration in a stable magnetized plasma jet. Physics of Plasmas, 28(4), 040703. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0044034
Helicity Space Progress to Lab Fusion Prototype | NextBigFuture.com. (n.d.). Retrieved September 4, 2023, from https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2023/02/helicity-space-progress-to-lab-fusion-prototype.html
Presentations
The Mars Society (Director). (2021, October 26). Fusion Powered Helicity Drive—Dr. Setthivoine You—2021 Mars Society Virtual Convention. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAhLGRcA-IQ
Helicity Fusion Propulsion Drive: The Company, The Technology, and The Application—YouTube. (2021, August 25). Retrieved September 4, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qX2JA1bxY
