NASA Demonstrates High-Power Lithium Electric Thruster for Mars-Mmission Ambitions
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory successfully tested a lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster in February 2026, achieving up to 120 kilowatts—over 25 times the power of the Psyche mission’s thrusters and the highest power for U.S. electric propulsion tests. The data from this milestone will guide scaling toward megawatt-class systems, which could power future nuclear-electric propulsion for crewed Mars missions and require multiple thrusters with robust heat tolerance for long-duration operation (potentially 2–4 MW total).