The water engine is a fairly regular hoax, sometimes taken seriously by a few sleepy conspirators, convinced that they are hiding the miracle energy of the future that lies right before our eyes. But a Japanese start-up is experimenting very seriously with the H2O molecule as space fuel, and the first tests are proving quite conclusive.
In space, the issue of fuel is essential. Because the more it takes up space and weighs, the more it is necessary to build a large vessel to embark large enough tanks… And the more fuel it takes to put it in motion, and a fortiori to make it leave the attraction of ‘a star. It is a vicious cycle, which motivates the search for other sources of propulsion than the chemical propellants currently used. If the nuclear option is still considered, the Japanese startup Pale Blue, it proposes to use water vapor.
Ion propulsion
The concept is of course a little more complex than a simple water gun. Pale Blue proposes an engine that breaks down water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen using a magnetic field. The vapor changes into plasma which generates positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons. And these, expelled from the machine, exert sufficient thrust to propel it.
That’s for the theory. But in practice? Well, it seems to be working: Pale Blue installed its engine on Sony’s EYE 1 cubesat, which was put into orbit on January 3 via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. According to the firm, the experiment was conclusive and its prototype Resistojet thruster was able to set the small satellite in motion.
We are a long way from tearing ourselves away from Earth’s attraction thanks to water vapor of course, but this means that this solution exists for small machines, once in orbit. And it’s also a big step towards ion propulsion, precise Futura, where magnetically charged particles provide the thrust in space. It now remains to go beyond the trial stage.
