NASA just tested a blazing-hot plasma engine that could help carry humans to Mars.
NASA’s experimental lithium-powered plasma thruster has cleared a major early test, marking another step toward future human missions to Mars. Engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California recently fired the electromagnetic engine at power levels never before achieved in the United States for this type of propulsion system.
The test took place on February 24 inside a specialized vacuum chamber at JPL designed for high-power electric propulsion research. During the experiment, the prototype engine operated at levels beyond those reached by any electric thruster currently flying on NASA spacecraft. Researchers say the results will guide the next phase of development and testing.
“At NASA, we work on many things at once, and we haven’t lost sight of Mars. The successful performance of our thruster in this test demonstrates real progress toward sending an American astronaut to set foot on the Red Planet,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “This marks the first time in the United States that an electric propulsion system has operated at power levels this high, reaching up to 120 kilowatts. We will continue to make strategic investments that will propel that next giant leap.”
Record-Breaking Plasma Thruster Test
The engine uses lithium metal vapor and belongs to a class of technology known as magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters. These systems create thrust by using electric currents and magnetic fields to accelerate plasma at extremely high speeds.
During five separate ignitions, the thruster’s tungsten electrode glowed brilliant white as temperatures climbed above 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,800 degrees Celsius). The tests were conducted in JPL’s Electric Propulsion Lab, which houses a unique facility capable of safely evaluating electric thrusters that rely on metal vapor propellants at megawatt-class power levels.
Why Electric Propulsion Matters for Mars
Electric propulsion systems are far more fuel efficient than conventional chemical rockets, using up to 90% less propellant. Instead of delivering short bursts of powerful thrust, they provide a gentle but continuous push that steadily accelerates spacecraft over long periods.
NASA already uses electric propulsion on missions such as Psyche, which currently operates the agency’s highest-power electric thrusters. Over time, Psyche’s propulsion system can accelerate the spacecraft to speeds of 124,000 mph.
The new lithium-fed MPD thruster could eventually deliver much greater thrust than existing systems. Although scientists have researched MPD propulsion since the 1960s, the technology has never been used operationally in space.
In the recent JPL test, the engine reached 120 kilowatts of power, more than 25 times greater than the thrusters flying on Psyche.
“Designing and building these thrusters over the last couple of years has been a long lead-up to this first test,” said James Polk, senior research scientist at JPL. “It’s a huge moment for us because we not only showed the thruster works, but we also hit the power levels we were targeting. And we know we have a good testbed to begin addressing the challenges to scaling up.”
Inside NASA’s Glowing Plasma Engine Test
Polk observed the experiment through a small viewing portal in the 26-foot-long (8-meter-long) water-cooled vacuum chamber. When the thruster activated, its nozzle-shaped outer electrode glowed intensely while producing a vivid red plasma plume.
Polk has spent decades working on electric propulsion technologies and previously contributed to NASA’s Dawn mission and Deep Space 1, the first spacecraft to demonstrate electric propulsion beyond Earth orbit.
Scaling Up for Human Missions to Mars
Researchers hope to eventually increase each thruster’s power output to between 500 kilowatts and 1 megawatt. One of the biggest technical hurdles will be ensuring the hardware can survive prolonged operation at extreme temperatures.
A crewed mission to Mars could require between 2 and 4 megawatts of total power, meaning several MPD thrusters would likely need to operate continuously for more than 23,000 hours.
Scientists believe lithium-fed MPD engines could play an important role in future deep-space exploration because they combine strong thrust with efficient propellant use. Paired with nuclear power systems, they could reduce launch mass while carrying the heavy payloads needed for human Mars missions.
NASA’s Nuclear Electric Propulsion Program
The MPD thruster project has been under development for the past 2½ years through a collaboration between JPL, Princeton University in New Jersey, and NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Funding comes from NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion project, which began in 2020 to support the development of megawatt-class nuclear electric propulsion systems for future Mars missions. The effort is managed through NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as part of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.
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