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No. It's not energy-positive, fusion provides less powe than is put in. Instead it's a way to produce very energetic exhaust, resulting in better fuel economy.


Wasn't it worse fuel economy (lower ISP) but higher thrust?


No, this would be heating the propellant to higher temperatures than chemical reactions can get -- in principle one could get much more than 50% extra ISP for the same propellant mass. In rocketry/satellites/deep space propellant mass is a big deal -- anything you can do to reduce the amount you need without having to gain even more mass in other ways is a big win.




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