China unveils a new plasma generator capable of powering hypersonic weapons
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF China is taking the hypersonic bull by the horns and innovating new energy and weapons systems faster than the US can read about them. Love the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from XPotential University, read about exponential tech and...
Prototype zero emission jet engine generates thrust using nothing but air and electricity
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Aircraft today burn huge amounts of fossil fuels that pollute the world, this latest breakthrough would make them zero emissions. Interested in the Exponential Future? Join our XPotential Community, future proof yourself with courses from our XPotential Academy, connect, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Today’s planes fly by burning...
Emission free flying a step closer after Chinese plasma jet breakthrough
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When it comes to the future of flight there are all kinds of new propulsion systems under development, and plasma jets show alot of promise. Interested in the Exponential Future? Connect, download a free E-Book, watch a keynote, or browse my blog. Todays aircraft fly by consuming huge amounts...
European Space Agency’s new Ion thruster runs on thin air
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF When satellites and rockets burn all their fuel they inevitably fall back to Earth and crash, but what if they didn’t need to carry fuel in the first place? That would change the economics of space flight… While ion thrusters are a promising propulsion...
NASA’s new ion thruster smashes all the records
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Chemical rockets are big, bulky and expensive, and once they run out of fuel they’re useless, Ion thrusters operate without fuel and could help propel humanity beyond our solar system. A thruster that’s being developed for a future NASA mission to Mars broke several records during...
Plasma jet engines get ready for real world trials
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF Plasma engines are the stuff of science fiction, and now it looks like they’re ready to come out of the labs and push new limits. Imagine a jet engine that could propel an aircraft faster than a traditional engine and take it all the...
NASA’s possible-impossible plasma engine roars into life
WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF It’s inevitable that humanity will one day become an interstellar species and engines like these might be the ones to get us there, wherever “there” is. Franklin Chang-Díaz bounds up a handful of stairs and looks through a porthole cut into the side of...
