WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF
What if you could launch objects into space without having to use propellant? That’s the subject of a heated scientific debate.
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Dr. Charles Buhler, a seasoned NASA engineer and co-founder of Exodus Propulsion Technologies, claims his company’s propellantless propulsion drive defies the laws of physics. The NASA veteran states the propulsion drive is capable of generating enough thrust to counteract Earth’s gravity without expelling mass, and it’s a bold claim which may end up being filed alongside similar controversial concepts like the propellant-free EmDrive.
However, Buhler’s history as NASA’s subject matter expert on electrostatics has forced people to take note.
Buhler and his team set out to explore propellantless propulsion concepts more than two decades ago. Their propulsion drive is based on a novel approach that takes advantage of asymmetry in electrostatic pressure to propel the drive forward.
The Future of Space Travel, by Keynote Matthew Griffin
The team presented their drive concept at a recent Alternative Propulsion Energy Conference (APEC). There, Buhler detailed his team’s progress over the years.
From 2016 to 2020, for example, the team’s best devices were producing a little over one hundred thousandth of a gravity. Ultimately, though, they set out to achieve “unity,” Buhler told The Debrief in a recent interview. Unity refers to the moment the drive produces enough thrust to lift itself in Earth’s gravity.
As with similar projects like the EmDrive, Buhler and his team have worked exhaustively to eliminate any alternative explanation for the tiny, though measurable, force they were seeing in experiments.
In 2023, Buhler said the propellantless drive finally reached one full Earth gravity. He and his team claim that their propulsion system has demonstrated the ability to exert a force equivalent to Earth’s gravity without emitting mass via propellant. Essentially, they believe they have discovered a new force that was previously unknown.
“This discovery of a New Force is fundamental in that electric fields alone can generate a sustainable force onto an object and allow center-of-mass translation of said object without expelling mass,” Buhler told The Debrief.
“There are rules that include conservation of energy, but if done correctly, one can generate forces unlike anything humankind has done before,” he added. “It will be this force that we will use to propel objects for the next 1,000 years… until the next thing comes.”
If Buhler and his team’s claims are true, their propulsion experiments would undoubtedly constitute a massive breakthrough. A propellant-free system would massively drive down costs, enable far-reaching missions, and revolutionize spaceflight. So why has the news broken with such little fanfare?
It’s because we have been here before. Proponents of the infamous, or famous depending on your point of view, EmDrive and IVO LTD’s Quantum Drive have made similar claims in the past. Neither of these has so far provided tangible results in space.
In his interview with The Debrief, Buhler claims that his team’s drive is the result of rigorous experimentation and tangible results. Buhler’s history also lends credibility to the project – he has worked in programs such as NASA’s Space Shuttle, the International Space Station (ISS), and The Hubble Telescope.
Still, Exodus Propulsion Technologies’ massive claim will likely be met with skepticism until it is able to demonstrate its technology in space.
