Hi everybody, and welcome back to the show. Spacex's Starship is the most groundbreaking rocket system that's ever happened to humanity. But Elon Musk. SpaceX relies on a chemical propulsion system for its Starship spacecraft, utilizing a mix of liquid oxygen and methane as fuel. Now in contrast, British startup Pulse, Our Fusion is venturing into a radical new direction in the field of aerospace engineering, developing a nuclear fusion rocket engine.
Now this technology aims to fuse 2 lighter atoms together to create a heavier atom, releasing an enormous amount of energy in the process. And the result of this? It's a journey to Mars that could potentially be completed in half the time currently achievable by Spacex's Starship. Furthermore, Pulsar Fusion is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence in the realm of space propulsion technology.
Collaborating with Princeton Satellite Systems, Pulsar Fusion is using machine learning simulations to predict and control the behavior of super heated plasma under electromagnetic confinement, an essential part of their fusion based engine. Now while SpaceX has made significant strides under Musk's leadership, Pulsar Fusion's innovative approach could revolutionize our understanding of interplanetary travel. Now, don't go away just yet.
We'll be right back with more fascinating insights into the future of space travel after this quick commercial break. An ambitious British startup is breaking new ground in the aerospace sector with a game changing approach to space propulsion. A Pulsar fusion is at the forefront of developing a nuclear fusion rocket engine that could potentially have the journey time to Mars.
Based in Bletchley, England, Pulsar Fusion is committed to developing a propulsion system that can reach speeds upwards of 500,000 mph or 805,000 kilometers per hour, and it will endure the most scorching temperatures in the solar system. At the heart of this venture lies nuclear fusion. This is the same reaction that powers our sun and gives it is tremendous energy.
Nuclear fusion is a process within two lighter atoms combined under high temperature and pressure conditions to form a heavier atom, releasing huge amounts of energy in the process. The scientists globally have lauded the potential of this near limitless 0 carbon energy source as the potential successor to fossil fuels.
Ironically, the applications of nuclear fusion as a game changer in our quest for cleaner energy might first be demonstrated in the depths of deep space before we can fully harness it on our home planet of Earth. Now space is the ideal environment for fusion with its vacuum conditions and the extreme cold, says Richard Dinan, the CEO of Pulsar Fusion. He said contrary to a ground based fusion power station, fusion propulsion for space doesn't require an enormous
steam turbine. And if you can be sourced externally rather than being manufactured on site, Dinan plans to channel this energy directly into the engine to achieve propulsion, a goal he believes is attainable within a short timeline of just about four years. And the technical challenges are immense. But the team at Pulsar Fusion remains undeterred.
The primary challenge lies in successfully confining the Super heated plasma within an electromagnetic field, explains Doctor James Lambert, chief Financial officer at Pulsar Fusion. He adds the plasma behaves much like a weather system, unpredictable and hard to control under conventional techniques. Now, as the plasma heats up to hundreds of millions of degrees, your reaction simply ceases due to the turbulence. However, recent scientific breakthroughs have propelled
this concept closer to reality. In December and milestone was reached with the first fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to initiate, a feat hailed as one of the most impressive scientific achievements of the 21st century. Now, encouraged by these advances and the promise of artificial intelligence, Pulsar Fusion is collaborating with Princeton Satellite Systems based in the US, to simulate and predict plasma behavior under
electromagnetic confinement. These AI guided machine learning simulations will inform the rocket engines design process and Pulsar Fusion's roadmap includes demonstrating that the rocket can achieve fusion temperatures by 2027. If successful, this would represent a significant step towards the world's first commercially viable fusion based engine, they said. Our technology could have mission times to Mars and reduce the flight time to Saturn from 8
years to just two. Ultimately, it could empower humanity to venture beyond our solar system. We're going to be shifting our focus to X or Twitter. Let's call it Twitter for now. Twitter's freshly minted X symbol has hastily removed from its San Francisco headquarters on Monday, following city official stern reproach for its
unpermitted installation. The massive attention grabbing sign set high above Twitter's building began to flash its presence last week, part of the social media giants latest rebranding effort. So the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection cited the company after receiving a flurry of 24 complaints, flagging concerns about the structure safety in the glare of its intense illumination.
City regulations demand a building permit for the insulation and even the dismantling of such a sign, a stipulation overlooked by Twitter. Yet due to immediate safety concerns, the removal was permitted to proceed, as confirmed by Patrick Hannon, the department spokesperson to NPR. Now the conflict comes on the heels of sweeping changes announced by Twitter just last
week. The removal, which came less than three days after an initial visit by a city inspector to Twitter's headquarters on Friday, indicates escalating tensions between the tech company and the city. The inspector responding to the city's complaint was called to evaluate the controversial rooftop signs adherence to city codes. The company's response was less than accommodating, with a Twitter representative denying
the inspector access. The representative, however, stated that the structure was a temporary lighted sign for an event, only to be countered by the inspectors firm declaration that an unpermitted signage must be taken down. Repeated attempts at inspection were met with continued resistance. The second visit to the headquarters on Saturday resulted in another denied request for rooftop access. Twitter as of yet has not responded for requests for comment.
Elon Musk, the current Twitter owner, however, offered a cheeky response to a tweet claiming San Francisco authorities were attempting to strong arm the removal of the X sign. Musk replied with a laughing, crying emoji, a dismissal of the ongoing drama. Now, this isn't the first encounter of regulatory friction of Twitter in recent days.
The company faced reprimands from San Francisco with city officials last Monday for removing its original signage, which featured its name and I Bluebird logo, without securing the necessary permits. Furthermore, the city criticized the company for neglecting pedestrian safety measures such as sectioning off the sidewalk during the removal process. The current clash underscores A fraught relationship between the social media Titan and it's host city as it embarks on its bold
new rebranding journey. Thank you so much for listening to the show today and I appreciate all of you and all of your time. So please, if you could take a second and hit the subscribe button or the follow button on whatever podcast platform you're on right now, that would really help out the show and help me continue to do these. So thanks again. Take care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you in the next one.