A British company headed by former Made in Chelsea heartthrob Richard Dinan has built a rocket engine that it claims could halve the journey time between Earth and Mars.
In a landmark test, the miniature prototype engine, built by Pulsar Fusion, shot the propellant gas argon through a 12-inch wide nozzle at a top speed of 56,000mph for around two-and-a-half minutes.
If the engine is scaled to full-size, it could reach 100,000mph – more than double the maximum exhaust speed achievable by current rockets using traditional propulsion methods – according to Pulsar Fusion.
Mr Dinan claims that using traditional engines to reach orbit and then switching to the new argon ion-powered thrusters could slash the time it takes for spacecraft to reach Mars in half.
It could also pave the way for a future nuclear fusion-powered rocket engine capable of up to 500,000mph, making expeditions beyond our solar system a realistic possibility.
A miniature ion-propulsion engine (pictured) has been tested by British scientists which flung out particles at around 56,000mph. The incredible speeds achieved through the 12-inch wide nozzle of the argon engine lasted for around two-and-a-half minutes
The engine works by superheating the gas to around 1,600°C (2,912°F), and magnetising it, so that Argon particles fly out of the back at immense speeds.
But ion thrusters work efficiently at much lower temperatures than nuclear fusion.
In order to achieve a propulsion method powered by nuclear fusion, the engine would have to create and sustain temperatures in excess of 100,000,000°C (180,000,000°F).
Richard Dinan, CEO of the firm and former Made in Chelsea star, told MailOnline: ‘This is a perfectly functional, full-size ion engine and could be immediately commercialised for space applications.’
However the aim of scientists at Pulsar Fusion is to build an engine that can operate at fusion temperatures, offering still greater velocities far in excess of 500,000mph.
‘This is the mission for our second, larger prototype we are starting work on later this year,’ Mr Dinan said.
Current rockets using traditional propulsion methods and fuel are effective at reaching orbit but have a maximum exhaust speed of around 40,000mph.
Pulsar Fusion thinks this can be improved, and has spent £500,000 on the prototype, including research and development.
It says the end result could be commercially produced for around £50,000, and has the potential to be up to ten times more efficient than existing methods.
Head of operations at Pulsar Fusion, Dr James Lambert said: ‘This first round of tests is designed to locate our concept in space design and explore state-of-the-art electric propulsion.’
A miniature ion-propulsion engine built by British scientists, and headed by former Made in Chelsea heartthrob Richard Dinan (pictured), reached a top speed of 56,000mph in a ground-breaking test
Richard Dinan, CEO of the firm, told MailOnline how his cutting-edge engine works. ‘The engine is based off a what is knows as a ‘Hall Effect’ Thruster (pictured, the inner workings of the engine). Pulsar Fusion adapted this design specifically for research into nuclear fusion
The incredible speeds achieved through the 12-inch wide nozzle of the argon engine lasted for around two-and-a-half minutes. The gas is superheated, magnetised and particles fly out the back at immense speeds, which could reach 100,000mph if scaled to full-size
But although the firm has identified a niche, it will take a significant amount of work to make it viable for actual space missions.
Pulsar Fusion says the thrusters are great once in space as they can maintain high speeds, but struggle with acceleration.
It envisions a future where solid or liquid fuels will get rockets from ground to orbit, at least for the next decade, and then once in space, the traditional engines would be switched off in favour of fusion thrusters.
Mr Dinan said: ‘The issue with thrusters like this as they are is acceleration, it takes them a long time to accelerate the craft to these speeds.
‘Similar devices are currently used in space for adjusting satellites and repositioning.
‘But for interplanetary space travel, more powerful plasma engines are required.
‘This is why Pulsar Fusion is dedicated to the development of hot fusion engines which would really be able to open the path to interplanetary travel.
‘NASA has invested in this technology also.’
But despite NASA working on similar technology and its developers believing it is a viable option for long-term space travel in future, Pulsar Fusion is currently working independently.