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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

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 ...

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 ...

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.

The world’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, especially for transportation, has left a deep mark on both the planet and public health. Burning these fuels releases a flood of greenhouse gases, which ...

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 ...

Space missions already use electric propulsion devices, where electromagnetic fields are utilized to generate the thrust of spacecraft. One such electrodeless device, which harnesses radio frequency ...