A controversial physics-defying quantum engine appears to have been lost in space

An experimental quantum engine is missing and presumed lost in space, after the team lost contact with the satellite it was supposed to be moving.

Rogue Space Systems launched the Barry-1 satellite into orbit in November 2023, where it was attached to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Unfortunately, the company's first space mission did not go as planned.

“We had persistent issues with the power system on board the bus during the launch and early orbit phase,” the team explained in a statement. to update“And after two months of operations, towards the end of LEOP, we lost contact with the satellite.”

According to the team, contact was lost before they could test the controversial IVO engine, which is named after the company IVO Ltd that developed it. The plan was to move the cubes using an IVO motor, demonstrating that it could provide propulsion.

The engine is described as a “reactionless engine”, a hypothetical device that causes thrust without propellant. Such a device would be revolutionary, helping us reach distant destinations in space faster and without massive amounts of propellant.

There have been attempts to create such devices, with some, such as the EmDrive, claiming to produce a small amount of thrust. But such devices are highly controversial because they seem to contradict the law of conservation of momentum, and for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Subsequent teams trying to replicate the mysterious propulsion created by the EmDrive found that it could all be explained by ordinary physics and thermal forcing.

“With the help of a new gauge structure and different suspension points for the same engine, we were able to reproduce apparent thrust forces similar to those measured by the NASA team, but also make them disappear by a suspension point.” The team explained to the German website GrenzWissenschaft-Aktuell.

“When power flows to the EmDrive, the motor heats up. This also causes the mounting elements on the scale to warp, causing the scale to move to the new zero point. We were able to prevent this with an improved structure. Our measurements refute all EmDrive claims by no less than 3 Orders of magnitude.

IVO is Lips tightened About how their drive works, though Claim It can produce 52 mN of thrust per 1 watt of electricity. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and with the IVO engine lost in space, and the laws of physics still doing their job, it seems unlikely we'll get that anytime soon.