120
Making a superconductor is easy. Keeping a superconductor is hard.
Much like my erection.
"""easy"""
i mean, yes. You can make YCBO superconductors by just heating some powders to 1000°C.
Like okay you can't do it on the stove, but it's also perfectly achievable by anyone with a back yard.
Except right now, superconductors only work at very low temperatures, and keeping things at low temps in space requires energy.
Energy is easy enough to get in space with some solar panels and a battery, while fuel has to be sent with the payload. Even if it's not good enough for constant function, being able to spin them up long enough for a course correction is a pretty big deal.
Right, but then it's not really "without fuel." It's hopefully less fuel, and if you can run it on solar panels, it would be without resupply, but nuclear power could also provide long-term functionality. As always, the most fuel is spent getting things into orbit.
For me, the exciting bit is the magnetic radiation shielding. If we're going to leave earth behind, radiation shielding is currently a significant missing piece of the puzzle.
They're not claiming the launch won't use fuel, just manoeuvring in space, which still solves the problem of getting fuel for manoeuvring while in space. Fuelless launches are a separate issue that other people are working on.
Technically, it needs insulation and a way to radiate heat. I read a while back that the superconductors used in space are often wrapped in several concentric shells to avoid being exposed directly to the sun and other onboard heat sources.
this is for applying torque to the spacecraft, not generating thrust. these are just magnetorquers, which have been a thing for a while. the only thing new here is that they use superconducting magnets, which i assume just means they can more efficiently create magnetic fields. its cool but its not really a game changing development, more a refinement on an existing technology. science journalism has to make everything sexy for clicks though...
That's true for older magnetorquers, because the Earth's magnetic field is smooth enough that the difference between field strength at the top and bottom of the satellite is insignificant.
With superconductors you can scale up the magnetic field strength enough to get a usable net linear force.
wtf are you talking about... linear and angular momentum are always conserved. the only way to get thrust is to expend mass. a magnetorquer exchanges angular momentum with the earth via its magnetic field. it cant be used to exchange linear momentum.
Are we finally going to get flying cars and hover boards?
No (and even if we did, you would never be able to afford one)
Is there a limit to the amount of thrust that these superconducting magnets could generate in Earth's magnetic field? I read a hypothesis that the UAPs that have been observed to accelerate without any propellent are using superconductors in this way.
A magnet that strong would be easily detected by human technology
Don't UFOs often come with a "my stuff started going haywire" type of thing? Are we monitoring the atmosphere for transient localized magnetic anomalies?
I'm pretty sure weather services and the military measure stuff like that. If UAPs were as common as the believers think, there would have been actual evidence by now.
it makes the most sense, right?
This does not move anything in orbit at all, it's only for turning. It's better than using cold gas thrusters for turning, but this will not move you to a different point at all.
this post was submitted on 06 Jul 2026
120 points (97.6% liked)
Space
2528 readers
147 users here now
A community to discuss space & astronomy through a STEM lens
Rules
- Be respectful and inclusive. This means no harassment, hate speech, or trolling.
- Engage in constructive discussions by discussing in good faith.
- Foster a continuous learning environment.
Also keep in mind, mander.xyz's rules on politics
Please keep politics to a minimum. When science is the focus, intersection with politics may be tolerated as long as the discussion is constructive and science remains the focus. As a general rule, political content posted directly to the instance’s local communities is discouraged and may be removed. You can of course engage in political discussions in non-local communities.
Related Communities
🔭 Science
- !curiosityrover@lemmy.world
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !esa@feddit.nl
- !nasa@lemmy.world
- !perseverancerover@lemmy.world
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !space@beehaw.org
🚀 Engineering
🌌 Art and Photography
Other Cool Links
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS