Magdrive, a British startup, has developed an innovative satellite propulsion system called Warlock that ionizes solid metal, potentially transforming space travel and addressing the issue of space debris. Founder Mark Stokes highlights the system's ability to achieve both high thrust and efficiency, unlike traditional chemical or electric systems. While the current version uses copper for fuel and isn't refuelable, the company envisions utilizing retired satellites as fuel sources, providing a sustainable solution to space junk, although this plan remains hypothetical and requires permissions from current owners of the debris.
'Chemical propulsion has very high thrust, but its efficiency - or its miles per gallon, if you like - is very poor,' Magdrive founder Mark Stokes told CNN.
'We're building the first system of its kind that has the best of both worlds,' he added. 'It is electric propulsion, but it has a magnitude improvement in thrust, with... reduction in volume and mass.'
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