New Atlas

NASA's experimental ion engine passes major test, bringing Mars mission closer

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

NASA is making a powerful new ion engine to send astronauts to Mars

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

NASA Fires Up Record-Breaking Plasma Thruster for Future Mars Missions

NASA just tested a blazing-hot plasma engine that could help carry humans to Mars.
Morning Overview on MSN

NASA fires up a lithium-fed thruster at 120 kilowatts — the most powerful electric engine the agency has ever tested for trips to Mars

On February 24, 2026, inside a vacuum chamber at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, engineers ignited ...
WXXV News 25

MS to the Moon: NASA Stennis engine testing plays vital role in historic Artemis missions

NASA Stennis Space Center, sitting in Hancock County, acts as the largest rocket propulsion test site in the United States.

NASA's lithium-fed electric thruster could carry humans to Mars and beyond

Inside a long vacuum chamber in Southern California, a spacecraft engine glowed white-hot as it pushed toward a level of ...
autoevolution

NASA Tests Space Shuttle Engine That Will Power Moon Mission Five Years in the Future

There has been only one mission of the Artemis program to date, an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft that was conducted back in 2022. Judging this solely from this perspective, you could be ...
Hosted on MSN

NASA, GE test hybrid engine for next decade of flight

NASA and GE Aerospace in December hit a key milestone in their quest to develop hybrid-electric engine technology for the next decade of commercial aviation. The partners on Tuesday revealed they ...