The unusual steam system has already been tested and will soon launch NASA nanosatellites into orbit.
Japan-based Pale Blue has conducted the first test of its experimental water-powered steam engine system by launching a nanosatellite using environmentally friendly and economical fuel, according to Gizmodo.
The unusual steam system has been tested aboard Sony’s first satellite for the Star Sphere project, which should provide astronomers and space enthusiasts with plenty of high-quality photographs of our universe.
The Star Sphere 1 satellite, also called EYE, was launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle. The microsatellite, on which the camera is installed, will operate in orbit at an altitude of about 600 km above the Earth. The water traction engines fired at about the second minute of launch, and satellite data confirmed the success of the first engine test.
The successful test means that the Pale Blue water propulsion system is now ready to place the satellite into its intended orbit so that it can begin its mission later this year. “Pale Blue has successfully developed its water engine and has taken a big step forward in launching the Star Sphere project into orbit,” said Jun Asakawa, CEO and co-founder of Pale Blue.
The company aims to offer an alternative way to keep satellites in Earth orbit. Water can be used as a green fuel because it is made up of hydrogen and oxygen (both used as fuel), creating a cheaper and safer option for small spacecraft. The propulsion system simply separates water into hydrogen and oxygen in space and burns them as fuel.
But using water has its limitations in terms of the size and weight of the spacecraft it can power, as well as the amount of power it can actually provide. Accordingly, this technology is best suited for the small, low-cost satellites that NASA is actively developing today.
Earlier, Focus wrote that Ukrainian intelligence for the first time showed pictures from the “people’s satellite” ICEYE.
