AAWSAP DIRD, Aneutronic Fusion Propulsion II, November 2010

This Defense Intelligence Reference Document, dated 1 November 2010, was prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency's Defense Warning Office under the Advanced Aerospace Weapons System Applications program. It reviews fusion plasma physics, confinement methods and propulsion concepts that use aneutronic fusion fuels such as hydrogen and boron-11. It concludes that pulsed DPF or IEC thrusters may replace satellite ion thrusters in the near term. It also finds that aneutronic fusion propulsion will not be practical beyond the solar system without breakthrough propulsion physics.

From the source:Release of 2026-09-18 Incident: 11/1/10, Las Vegas, Nevada. Released with redactions. This document is a Defense Intelligence Reference Document (DIRD), a technical reference format used by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to capture baseline knowledge on a specific topic for later analytic use. DIRDs are best understood as reference and synthesis products rather than as original research. It is one of 38 DIRDs produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) between 2009 and 2011. Because AAWSAP’s scope permitted a broad range of supporting topics, not every DIRD in the series directly concerns aerospace systems or future threat assessment. The following summary reflects the DIRD’s scope and framing at the time of writing and should not be read as implying current validation of the concepts discussed. This DIRD revisits aneutronic fusion propulsion in a more systems-oriented manner, arguing that fusion concepts using low-neutron fuels such as proton-boron or helium-3 could become attractive for space propulsion because they reduce shielding burdens and may support direct conversion of charged-particle energy into thrust or onboard power. The report reviews the relevant fusion plasma physics and focuses on several candidate confinement approaches, then connects those concepts to possible applications in near-space, orbital, and interplanetary propulsion. It presents the most plausible nearer-term use as very high-power electric or plasma propulsion for satellites and deep-space missions rather than atmospheric flight or interstellar travel, while emphasizing that major obstacles remain in ignition, sustained confinement, system mass, power handling, fuel storage, launch integration, and end-to-end engineering.

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capable of either generating low-thrust, high-specific-impulse exhaust or relatively
high-thrust, low-specific-impulse exhaust. The intention of the VASIMR design is to
bridge the gap between high-thrust, low-specific-impulse propulsion systems and low
thrust, high-specific-impulse systems. AdAstra is currently testing the VX-200 engine (a
200-kW engine). The power distribution is as follows: A helicon discharge uses 30 kWe
(kilowatts, electrical}for ionizing the argon gas using RF waves and uses 170 kWe for
powering the ion cyclotron resonance to heat and accelerate plasma in the second part
of the engine. The specific impulse is optimally ~5,000 seconds, with a specific power
of ~1.5 kg/kW. The mass of the VX-200 engine is estimated at ~300 kg. NASA intends
to test this engine on the International Space Station using a large battery to power it
during the tests.
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