NASA Fires Up Lithium Plasma Engine to Accelerate Mars Missions
NASA and JPL successfully fired a lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster at 120 kilowatts—the highest power reached by a U.S. electric propulsion system—validating ignition and stable operation at high power and advancing the path to megawatt-class propulsion for crewed Mars missions, though challenges remain in material durability, thermal management, and scaling for long-duration flights.