A former NASA engineer claims to have built a propellant-free engine that defies gravity, but scientists demand independent verification before accepting such a breakthrough.
A former NASA engineer has claimed his team has built a machine capable of producing thrust without using any propellant, a development that, if verified, could transform space travel. Charles Buhler, now with Exodus Propulsion Technologies, unveiled the project at the Alternative Propulsion Energy Conference, stating the engine uses an electrostatic field to generate force. “This engine can create enough force to overcome Earth’s gravity,” Buhler said, stressing the work was independent of NASA.
The pursuit of propellant-free propulsion has long been considered a scientific impossibility due to Newton’s third law of motion, which requires equal and opposite reactions. Similar claims, such as Roger Shawyer’s EmDrive in 2001, ultimately failed under rigorous testing.
Physicists remain cautious, insisting on independent verification. “Only third-party testing will help rule out errors, interference, or overlooked explanations within known physics,” experts said. Buhler, who once established NASA’s Electrostatics and Surface Physics Laboratory, insists his team’s persistence has finally paid off.
For now, his electrostatic engine stands as a bold idea awaiting proof, balancing the promise of revolutionary space travel against deep scientific scepticism.