VASIMR rocket with capability to reach Mars in 40 days will launch in 2014

Ad Astra Rocket Co. is planning to develop a plasma-powered rocket named Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) which would carry astronauts to Mars I period of 40 days.

VASIMR incorporates the technology of radio waves, ionize propellants like argon, xenon or hydrogen, and heat the resulting plasma to temperatures 20 times hotter than that of the solar surface. It also utilizes magnetic fields rather than using metal nozzles for controlling the exhaust’s direction.

VASIMR inventor and physicist Franklin Chang-Diaz said, “All of a sudden, the future is here. The engine is actually firing right now. We have lots of hurdles and challenges; we have lots of work to do. But if you look at what has happened in the last five years in NASA, it’s been amazing.”

This rocket will not only take less time but will also provide better safety as it reduce the astronauts’ exposure to potentially deadly cosmic and solar radiation that is right now considered as the largest hurdle in approaching Mars.

Ad Astra is expected to launch VASIMR to space station in 2014.