The magnetic nozzle rf plasma thruster operated in a Mega hpt vacuum chamber at Tohoku University CREDIT Kazunori Takahashi A Tohoku University researcher has increased the performance of a high-power ...

A Maxwell plasma thruster, which developer Phase Four says is the most compact system in its class. Credit: Phase Four WASHINGTON — Electric propulsion company Phase Four flew its first plasma ...

Helicon plasma propulsion represents a promising and multifaceted approach in the domain of electric space propulsion. At its core, the technology utilises helicon waves to generate high-density ...

Long before any spacecraft can attempt a faster journey to Mars, scientists must first solve one of space exploration’s ...

Plasma engines could be the future of human space travel, and Russia’s “manetoplasma rockets” have the most ambitious travel goals ...

A laboratory in Troitsk, Russia, may have just nudged humanity closer to interplanetary commuting. Scientists at Rosatom, the country's state nuclear corporation, have revealed a working prototype of ...

Purdue has created part of a new cubesat thruster which electromagnetically accelerates plasma to produce thrust. They have successfully tested the ignition system for more than 1.5 million pulses.

A startup called Momentus is testing a new in-orbit water plasma propulsion system to maneuver satellites. And early rounds of tests have gone without any major hurdles — and the trials mark the first ...

View gallery - 3 images NASA and Howe Industries are working on a new rocket to make the trip to Mars much more manageable. The Pulsed Plasma Rocket could boast 100,000 N of thrust, unlocking speeds ...

Space startup Phase Four will be rolling out the next generation of its Maxwell radio-frequency plasma propulsion system next year, which the company says offers key performance improvements to allow ...

Plasma thrusters are already operational on spacecraft as a means of solar-electric locomotion, using xenon plasma, but such things are no use in the Earth's atmosphere, as accelerated xenon ions lose ...