Exploring new frontiers and what lies beyond in space may not be fictional anymore but the endless difficulties associated with space exploring are just as real. One of these is the difficulty of refueling once a spacecraft has left the Earth’s atmosphere. Returning to Earth to refuel or finding a refueling station were the only possibilities earlier and this had posed to be a problem. Space company Ad Astra has developed a refueling process that could alleviate these problems.

Ad Astra which was started by ex-NASA employee Franklin Chang-Diaz has developed a plasma rocket which uses an electric power source to ionize hydrogen or helium instead of burning liquid or solid chemical propellants. The heated plasma is directed with magnetic fields to decide the direction of thrust. Use of hydrogen makes it possible for the rocket to be refueled nearly anywhere in the solar system and it would also shield against radiation in case of manned aircrafts.

The first prototype plasma rocket VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) made the desired target of 200kw of power on a flight last week and the launch of a flight-capable version has been set for 2013 from the International Space Station.

Via: PopSci