Insanely Fuel Efficient Engine Could Go To Mars And Back On One Tank Of Fuel

Technology





Photo credit:

Patrick Newman with his laboratory version of the ion engine that could one day explore the solar system. Credit: Horst Burkhardt

An ion engine that smashes the fuel efficiency record has been registered for an innovation patent. Inventor Patrick Neumann told University of Sydney student newspaper Honi Soit the drive could go to “Mars and back on a tank of fuel”, but its first application may be shunting networks of small satellites around in Earth orbit.