Propulsion

BRC-4

Bussard Ramscoop Collector

Sweeps interstellar hydrogen into usable deuterium while you cruise, so the fuel state on arrival is better than the fuel state you left with.

UNIT PRICE

512,000 GCR

LEAD TIME

60 standard days

RATING

4.2 g/hr at cruise

Specification

Collection rate 4.2 g/hr at warp 6 cruise
Aperture 18 m effective magnetic
Rejection Automatic, >99.4% particulate
Moving parts None in the intake path
Storage interface Standard deuterium slush coupling
Service interval 5 years
Mass 2.8 tonnes
Certification Deep Range Endurance Rating

Flight notes

  • Entirely magnetic aperture — nothing in the collection path to erode.
  • Rejects better than 99.4% of particulate before it reaches the storage coupling.
  • Roughly nine kilograms of usable deuterium over a ninety-day transit at cruise.
  • Plumbs straight into standard slush storage with no additional hardware.

HULL COMPATIBILITY

ExplorerLong-range courierDeep surveyScience vessel

Fuel is not a problem until it is the only problem. The BRC-4 turns a long transit from a budget line into a slow refuelling operation.

An aperture with no moving parts

The collection field is entirely magnetic. There is no physical intake, no bell, no shutter, nothing in the stream to erode. The only wear item on the BRC-4 is the field coil itself, rated at five years of continuous operation.

Rejection matters more than collection

Anyone can pull hydrogen out of the interstellar medium. The difficulty is not pulling in everything else along with it. The BRC-4 rejects better than 99.4% of particulate mass before it reaches the storage coupling, which is why our collectors do not slowly silt up their own plumbing the way cheaper units do.

What 4.2 grams an hour actually means

On a ninety-day transit at cruise, the BRC-4 collects roughly nine kilograms of usable deuterium. That is not a full tank. It is, on most hulls, the difference between arriving with a reserve and arriving with a decision to make.

Fitting notes

Mounts forward on the nacelle cap or on a dedicated bow pylon. Requires a standard slush coupling to your existing deuterium storage. Works with the WC-9 warp coil assembly without additional plumbing.

Open a work order

Tell us what you fly. We'll tell you what fits.

Send a hull class and a mission profile and our systems engineers will return a fitted parts list, a lead time and a drydock window — usually within one standard day.