What is the Em Drive?

The Em Drive is a new type of rocket engine first proposed by British scientist/electrical engineer Roger Shawyer in 1999. Unlike conventional space rocket engines, the EmDrive doesn’t require any kind of propellant (also known as a reaction mass) to make propulsion possible. Click here to view how does it work.

The idea is that electricity is converted into microwaves, and the microwave photons are fired into a truncated cone-shaped closed metal cavity. When fired into the cavity, the microwave photons push against the large end of the cone, causing the small end to accelerate in the opposite direction.

If its potential could be realised, Shawyer believes EmDrive could transform the aerospace industry and potentially solve both the energy crisis and climate change by making it much cheaper to launch satellites and spacecraft into orbit, as well as helping to extend the operational lifetime of satellites.

If you could get more satellites into space, some of them could be used to harness solar energy or to act as a shield against global warming. The technology would also make space travel much faster (but not warp speed fast) and make flying cars feasible.

For greater detail, watch the video presentation featuring narration by Shawyer on the basic science behind the EmDrive.