According to a report in Aerospace Testing International, Oxfordshire-based Applied Fusion Systems is testing ion thrusters that could be fuelled by a small nuclear reactor and used for deep space and inter-planetary travel.

Ion thrusters use a plasma propellant that is accelerated to very high speeds using a strong electromagnetic field; they are currently used for manoeuvring satellites.

A variation of the technology, which Applied Fusion Systems (www.appliedfusionsystems.com) calls Nuclear Enhanced Air-breathing Rockets (NEAR) technology, will need to function in atmospheric conditions, but it could be adapted to run off a compact nuclear fusion reactor.

The company is primarily focused on the development of small-module nuclear-fusion reactors, but it also seeks to apply recent breakthroughs in fusion technology to innovations in space exploration.