The first human Mars explorers won’t have it easy. Every additional day in deep space will increase their exposure to deadly ...

A prototype ion engine that uses lithium vapor as a propellant has aced its first tests, achieving 25 times more power than ...

NASA's lithium-fed MPD thruster achieved 120 kilowatts in a recent test, marking a significant step toward faster crewed Mars ...

Record power levels: NASA’s experimental MPD thruster achieved 120 kW in tests, the highest electric propulsion power level ever reached in the U.S. Mars mission potential: The lithium-fed engine ...

Click to open image viewer. This glass tube device was used in experiments by U.S. rocket pioneer Robert H. Goddard during 1924-1928 to determine the feasibility of ion propulsion for space flight.

Britain's QinetiQ has started commercially operating its ion propulsion chamber, with the first customer, French engine manufacturer Snecma, using the facility to test Hall Effect Thrusters. The ...

Recently NASA announced earlier this month that the 12 kW Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) — which is scheduled to form an integral part of the Lunar Gateway when it is launched — has passed ...

The X3 Nested-channel Hall Thruster (NHT), is a 100-kW class thruster developed jointly by the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL) at the University of Michigan, led by Alec ...

American space agency NASA announced the first major test of a new lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster that could ...

NASA has successfully tested a lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster reaching 120 kilowatts, 25 times more powerful than its current top ion engine. The breakthrough could drastically cut ...