Interplanetary travel might be about to get a whole lot faster and hotter.UK startup Pulsar Fusion today unveiled Sunbird, a nuclear fusion-powered rocket concept that could halve the time it takes to travel across our solar system and, maybe, beyond it.Machine learning models show the rocket could potentially propel a spacecraft with a mass of about 1,000kg (2,200lb) to Pluto in four years less than half the time it took NASAs New Horizons mission, which was powered by regular ion thrusters. Earth to Mars? Four months. Earth to Saturn? Two years.Rather than launch from Earth each time, several Sunbirds would be docked in low-Earth orbit, ready to attach to spacecraft and propel them deeper into the cosmos.The of EU techThe latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!Sunbird would be fitted with a Duel Direct Fusion Drive a compact nuclear fusion engine which could provide both thrust and electrical power for spacecraft.Pulsar started building the engine in 2023 at a site in Milton Keynes, England. Static tests are slated to begin in 2025 followed by an In Orbit Demonstration (IOD) of the core technology components in 2027, the company said. When fired, the engine could temporarily become the hottest place in the solar system, creating exhaust speeds of more than 500,000mph (804,672km/h). From the UK to MarsFounded in 2011, Pulsar has spent over a decade on fusion research. More recently, the company started developing two other products in parallel: a Hall-effect electric thruster for spacecraft and a second-stage hybrid rocket engine.Pulsar has built a reputation in this industry for delivering real technology not just talking about it, said founder and CEO Richard Dinan. Weve recently commissioned not one, but two of the largest space propulsion testing chambers in the UK, if not all of Europe and we have ambitious plans to grow from here.While Pulsars goal to build and test a fusion reactor in space in just three years is certainly ambitious, advances in AI could help. The company has teamed up with the US-based Princeton Satellite Systems to predict how plasma behaves under electromagnetic confinement. The machine learning simulations will guide the rocket engines design.In 2022, Pulsar secured funding from the UK Space Agency to develop a nuclear-fission based propulsion system, alongside the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Cambridge University. Story by Sin Geschwindt Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecos (show all) Sin is a climate and energy reporter at TNW. From nuclear fusion to escooters, he covers the length and breadth of Europe's clean tech ecosystem. He's happiest sourcing a scoop, investigating the impact of emerging technologies, and even putting them to the test. Sin has five years journalism experience and holds a dual degree in media and environmental science from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Get the TNW newsletterGet the most important tech news in your inbox each week.Also tagged with