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Sunbird Pulsar Fusion Like Leinster's Space Tug
Sunbird is just a concept, but Pulsar Fusion seems to be on the right science-fictional track.
Sunbird is a nuclear fusion-powered spacecraft concept developed by Pulsar Fusion to reduce deep-space travel time.
— Space and Technology (@spaceandtech_) April 9, 2026
It uses a Dual Direct Fusion Drive powered by deuterium and helium-3 and is designed to act as a space tug from low Earth orbit.
Still in development, it could… pic.twitter.com/y0QG4aZ25e
Sunbird is a nuclear fusion-powered spacecraft concept developed by Pulsar Fusion to reduce deep-space travel time.It uses a Dual Direct Fusion Drive powered by deuterium and helium-3 and is designed to act as a space tug from low Earth orbit.
Still in development, it could become the fastest self-propelled spacecraft ever built if testing is successful.
This is a very similar idea to Murray Leinster's pushpots:
Something went shrieking by the doorway. It looked like the magnified top half of a loaf of baker's bread, painted gray and equipped with an air-scoop in front and a plastic bubble for a pilot. It howled like a lost baby dragon, its flat underside tilted up and up until it was almost vertical. It had no wings, but a blue-white flame spurted out of its rear, wobbling from side to side for reasons best known to itself. It was a pushpot, which could not possibly be called a jet plane because it could not possibly fly. Only it did.It settled down on its flame-spouting tail, and the sparse vegetation burst into smoky flame and shriveled, and the thing — still shrieking like a fog-horn in a tunnel — flopped flat forward with a resounding clank! It was abruptly silent.
But the total noise was not lessened. Another pushpot came soaring wildly into view, making hysterical outcries. It touched and banged violently to earth. Others appeared in the air beyond the construction Shed. One flopped so hard on landing that its tail rose in the air and it attempted a somersault. It made ten times more noise than before — the flame from its tail making wild gyrations — and flopped back again with a crash. Two others rolled over on their sides after touching ground. One ended up on its back like a tumble-bug, wriggling.
As a historical note, the first use of the term "space tug" is from Murder on the Asteroid, by Eando Binder, published by Wonder Stories in 1933.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 4/13/2026)
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