Editing Fusion rocket (section)

{{short description|Rocket driven by nuclear fusion power}}
[[File:Schematic of the Fusion Driven Rocket including major subsystems.png|thumb|A schematic of a fusion-driven rocket by [[NASA]]]]
A '''fusion rocket''' is a theoretical design for a [[rocket]] driven by [[nuclear fusion|fusion]] propulsion that could provide efficient and sustained [[Spacecraft propulsion|acceleration in space]] without the need to carry a large fuel supply. The design requires fusion power technology beyond current capabilities, and much larger and more complex rockets.

Fusion [[nuclear pulse propulsion]] is one approach to using nuclear fusion energy to provide propulsion.

Fusion's main advantage is its very high [[specific impulse]], while its main disadvantage is the (likely) large mass of the reactor. A fusion rocket may produce less radiation than a [[nuclear fission|fission]] rocket, reducing the shielding mass needed. The simplest way of building a fusion rocket is to use [[hydrogen bomb]]s as proposed in [[Project Orion (nuclear propulsion)|Project Orion]], but such a spacecraft would be massive and the [[Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty]] prohibits the use of such bombs. For that reason bomb-based rockets would likely be limited to operating only in space. An alternate approach uses electrical (e.g. [[ion thruster|ion]]) propulsion with electric power generated by fusion instead of direct thrust.