NASA Fires Up Futuristic Plasma Thruster Designed to Take Us to Mars

NASA tested a next-generation lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster in a vacuum chamber at Jet Propulsion Lab.

The engine reached up to 120 kilowatts, setting a new U.S. record for electric-propulsion power testing.

The technology is being evaluated as a lower-propellant option for future crewed Mars missions.

If developed further, electric propulsion could help reduce fuel mass compared with chemical rockets.