Torch Drive

The drive of choice for fast flying ships, these allow for independent, rapid movement throughout the solar system, but are expensive to run. The larger versions only became viable upon the refinement of the design, allowing for reactors that only produce around 4-5% waste heat, which can be dissipated without melting a ship.
The actual operation of the fusion drives is simple. An onboard tokomak produces power, eqivalent to around 0.5% of that of the ships thrust. It then uses this power to power the electromagnetic nozzle and confinement systems that produce a fusion flame multiple decameters behind the ship, pushing it forward.

Manufacturing

Built with the same methods as a smaller reactor, though at a smaller scale. No one has created a proton chain reactor that can be fit inside a typical ship, or a D-He³ reactor much larger than 120 m across.

Parent Technologies

Fusion Power

Access & Availability

These are highly regulated and expensive, only being installed on ships with a tracked transponder and known crew. A small, 1 PW reactor can set a corporation back a few million dollars, and so are only used when laser systems are unfeasible.

Complexity

Incredibly intricate design, even more so than a typical fusion reactor.

Discovery

The smaller versions were used from the invention of fusion, but the more modern, efficient designs were developed in 2149.

Related Items