Zenno Astronautics develops fuel free supertorquer to steer satellites
Zenno Astronautics, a startup from New Zealand, has pulled off something pretty cool: a new thruster called Supertorquer that doesn't need any fuel.
Instead, it uses superconducting magnets powered by solar energy to interact with Earth's magnetic field.
This lets satellites adjust their position and stay steady in orbit without the usual engines.
Supertorquer succeeds on SpaceX mission
The Supertorquer passed its first big test on a Mira satellite during a SpaceX mission, smoothly changing the satellite's orientation as needed.
Zenno's special cooling system keeps the magnets super cold using minimal power.
CEO and founder Max Arshavsky says they hope to use this tech for everything from docking spacecraft to traveling to the Moon or Mars, maybe even creating magnetic shields for astronaut safety down the line.