A prototype ion engine that uses lithium vapor as a propellant has aced its first tests, achieving 25 times more power than previous ion engines.

A new era for space propulsion? An ion engine twenty-five times more powerful than NASA's current best model has just been ...

The first human Mars explorers won’t have it easy. Every additional day in deep space will increase their exposure to deadly ...

GOCE’s sophisticated electric ion propulsion system has been switched on and confirmed to be operating normally, marking another crucial milestone in the satellite’s post-launch commissioning phase.

CLEVELAND — A small robotic surveyor arrives to explore a near-Earth asteroid. Another robotic spacecraft is returning to Earth with a pristine comet surface sample. Meanwhile, a robotic explorer is ...

NASA's lithium-fed MPD thruster achieved 120 kilowatts in a recent test, marking a significant step toward faster crewed Mars ...

Sending an object to another star is still the stuff of science fiction. But some concrete missions could get us at least part way there. These "interstellar precursor missions" include a trip to the ...

The Mandalorian & Grogu arrived at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on May 14, 2026 — the night before NASA's Psyche spacecraft executed a gravity-assist flyby of Mars using a xenon-fueled ion ...

Milan, 30 October 2024 – Create a prototype of an efficient aircraft capable of flying with ion propulsion. This is the aim of the IPROP project, led by Politecnico di Milano, and funded by the EU ...

American space agency NASA announced the first major test of a new lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster that could power Mars spacecraft.