Ion thruster

Forget fuel-powered jet engines. We’re on the verge of having aircraft that can fly from the ground up to the edge of space using air and electricity alone.

Traditional jet engines create thrust by mixing compressed air with fuel and igniting it. The burning mixture expands rapidly and is blasted out of the back of the engine, pushing it forwards.

An inventor has unveiled an ambitious concept design for a space train named the "Solar Express" that could be used in future to ferry passengers and cargo through space faster than any existing system, writes the Mirror.

Each train would be composed of six 50m-long cylinders in a straight line.