According to machine learning models, Sunbird could propel a 1,000kg (2,200lb) spacecraft to Pluto in just four years—less than half the time it took NASA’s New Horizons mission, which relied on conventional ion thrusters. Travel times could shrink dramatically: Earth to Mars in four months, Earth to Saturn in two years.
Instead of launching each time from Earth, multiple Sunbirds would remain docked in low-Earth orbit, ready to attach to spacecraft and push them further into space.
A Next-Generation Fusion Engine
Sunbird will feature a Dual Direct Fusion Drive—a compact nuclear fusion engine capable of providing both thrust and electrical power.
Pulsar began constructing the engine in 2023 in Milton Keynes, England. Static testing is set for 2025, followed by an "In Orbit Demonstration" (IOD) of key technology components in 2027. When activated, the engine could temporarily become the hottest location in the solar system, generating exhaust speeds exceeding 500,000 mph (804,672 km/h).
From the UK to the Stars
Since its founding in 2011, Pulsar has dedicated over a decade to fusion research. The company is also developing a Hall-effect electric thruster and a second-stage hybrid rocket engine.
“Pulsar has built a reputation for delivering real technology—not just making promises,” said founder and CEO Richard Dinan. “We’ve recently commissioned two of the largest space propulsion testing chambers in the UK, if not all of Europe—and we have ambitious plans to grow from here.”
While building and testing a fusion reactor in space within three years is an ambitious goal, AI may accelerate progress. Pulsar has partnered with Princeton Satellite Systems in the U.S. to simulate plasma behavior under electromagnetic confinement, guiding the rocket’s design.
In 2022, the company secured funding from the UK Space Agency to develop a nuclear fission-based propulsion system in collaboration with the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and Cambridge University.