NASA Tests Record 120 kW Magnetoplasmadynamic Engine for Flights to Mars

The engine reached a power level of up to 120 kilowatts — more than 25 times the output of the most powerful electric engines currently used in space (for example, on the Psyche probe). The test was conducted in a special vacuum chamber capable of operating with metal vapors.

MPD engines have been known since the 1960s, but they had not previously been operated at such high power levels in the United States. The new prototype uses metallic lithium vapor as a propellant. When a strong electric current and magnetic field pass through it, the plasma accelerates and generates thrust.

The main advantage of such engines is their extremely high fuel efficiency. Combined with a nuclear power source, they could enable significantly shorter travel times to Mars and lower launch mass compared to chemical rockets.

“This is real progress in the development of nuclear electric propulsion,” NASA representatives noted. The next steps include increasing power, improving reliability, and conducting endurance tests.

So far, this is only a ground-based prototype. There is still a long way to go before an actual spaceflight: scaling up to the megawatt level, integration with a nuclear reactor, and testing in space conditions. Nevertheless, the successful 120 kW test marks an important milestone.

The work is being carried out as part of the Space Nuclear Propulsion program.

Sources: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA Fires Up Powerful Lithium-Fed Thruster for Trips to Mars. April 28, 2026.