NASA’s Lithium-Fed Nuclear Thruster Flares to Life in First of Its Kind Test
NASA has successfully tested a high-power lithium-fed electromagnetic thruster, marking a significant step toward developing advanced propulsion for future crewed Mars missions. The prototype reached 120 kilowatts in a vacuum chamber test, the highest power level achieved in U.S. electric propulsion testing. This thruster, which uses lithium plasma and could eventually be paired with nuclear power, offers greater efficiency and thrust compared to current solar-powered electric systems.
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NASA engineers recently tested a next-generation electric propulsion system that could one day power a crewed mission to Mars. NASA fired up a prototype of its electromagnetic thruster inside a vacuum chamber, reaching power levels of up to 120 kilowatts—the highest achieved in U.S. tests of an electric propulsion system. That’s over 25 times the power of the electric thrusters aboard the current Psyche mission, which launched in 2023 on a journey to explore a metal-rich…
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