China claimed that it successfully tested electromagnetic drives (EmDrives) technology on its laboratories and a proof-of-concept is currently undergoing zero-g testing in orbit, Dr. Chen Yue, director of Commercial Satellite Technology for the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), announced on Dec. 10.

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Both the US and China have been pouring serious resources into these seemingly impossible engines. And now, China said it made a major breakthrough in the impossible EmDrives, with test taking place on the Tiangong 2 space station, according to the International Business Times.

Why EmDrive is Impossible?

While traditional engines produce thrust by expelling mass, EmDrives, which is a piece of space tech, use electricity to create movement that would violate the law of conservation of momentum by generating mechanical action without exchanging matter.

EmDrive was first developed by Roger Shawyer as a microwave cavity that is a truncated cone with one end bigger than the other. Electromagnetic energy then hits the narrow end with microwaves that strike the cavity walls and create electromagnetic resonance.

Efficiency and Future of EmDrive

EmDrives are excellent for deep space exploration because these do not need refueling. It only requires a power source to run like a reactor or solar energy to fuel anything ranging from a manned martian mission to robotic probes going outside of the solar system.

EmDrives can be high-function satellites as well and could result in smaller and more efficient satellites, since these could ditch space-consuming chemical thrusters used for maneuvering.

China has not yet released any pictures of the EMDrive, but NASA has published a different EmDrive named Eagle works, or the unmanned X-37 space plane.

Li Feng, lead CAST designer for commercial satellites, stated that if China gets successful in installing EMDrives on the satellites, it would do well for orbital maneuvering and altitude control. It would also create new opportunities for China's long range probes beyond asteroids.

Tagschina, EmDrive, breakthrough, Fuel-Free, China Academy of Space Technology