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In February 2026, NASA tested a magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster powered by metallic lithium vapor at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. The prototype reached 120 kilowatts of power, more than 25 times that of the Psyche mission’s electric thrusters, the most powerful in operation by the agency. The technology needs to scale to 2 to 4 megawatts and operate for more than 23,000 hours to enable crewed missions to Mars.
NASA has just ignited an engine that could change how humanity travels through space. The magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster powered by metallic lithium was tested at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California, reaching power levels superior to any other electric spacecraft thruster from the agency. During five ignitions, the tungsten electrode at the center of the engine glowed incandescent white at over 2,800 degrees Celsius, emitting a vibrant red plume of lithium plasma, confirming that the technology works.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman was direct about the significance of the test: “The successful performance of our thruster demonstrates real progress toward sending an American astronaut to step on the Red Planet.” Electric propulsion uses up to 90% less propellant than traditional chemical rockets, but current thrusters operate at low power. The lithium MPD solves this limitation by using high currents that interact with a magnetic field to electromagnetically accelerate the plasma, producing much greater thrust. The goal is to scale the technology for Mars.
What is a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster and why does it change everything?
According to information released by CNN Brazil, the MPD thruster is a technology that has been researched since the 1960s but has never been flight-tested operationally. The engine differs from existing electric thrusters because it uses extremely high electrical currents that interact with a magnetic field to accelerate lithium plasma to speeds that produce significantly greater thrust than any electric system operating in space.
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Conventional electric thrusters, like those on NASA‘s Psyche mission, use solar energy to accelerate propellants and produce low but continuous thrust that achieves high speeds over time. In the vacuum of space, this gentle force accelerates the Psyche spacecraft to 200,000 km/h, an impressive speed that is achieved gradually. The lithium MPD promises to do the same with much higher power, meaning faster acceleration and shorter journeys to distant destinations like Mars.
The 120 kilowatts that are 25 times more than any NASA thruster
During the test, the JPL team achieved power levels of up to 120 kilowatts, a value that represents more than 25 times the power of the Psyche thrusters, which currently operate as the most powerful on any NASA spacecraft. The result confirmed that the prototype works and that the test platform is suitable for the challenges ahead, including scaling to power levels between 500 kilowatts and 1 megawatt per thruster in the coming years.
James Polk, a senior research scientist at JPL, explained the significance of the milestone: “Not only did we show that the thruster works, but we also achieved the power levels we were aiming for.” The test was conducted at the condensable metallic propellant vacuum facility, a specialized resource that allows safe testing of thrusters using metallic vapors at power levels up to megawatts. The water-cooled vacuum chamber is 8 meters long and simulates space conditions.
The challenge of 23,000 hours at infernal temperatures
Getting the engine to run for five ignitions in a laboratory is one thing. Getting it to operate continuously for over 23,000 hours at temperatures exceeding 2,800 degrees Celsius is an engineering challenge that defines whether the technology will reach Mars or remain stuck on Earth. A crewed mission to the red planet may require 2 to 4 megawatts of power, which means multiple MPD thrusters operating simultaneously throughout the entire journey.
The main obstacle is material resistance. The thruster components operate at such extreme temperatures that proving their durability over thousands of hours of operation will be the most critical challenge of the next development phase. The tungsten of the central electrode withstands the heat, but the other structural materials need to be validated in prolonged test cycles that simulate the actual duration of a trip to Mars, which can take between six and nine months depending on the trajectory.
Why lithium and not another propellant
Metallic lithium was chosen as a propellant because it combines characteristics that other materials do not offer. It is the lightest metal in the periodic table, which reduces the total mass of the spacecraft, a crucial factor when each additional kilogram costs millions of dollars to put into orbit. Furthermore, lithium ionizes easily and produces high-efficiency plasma when heated, generating thrust proportional to the power invested.
Conventional electric propulsion uses xenon as a propellant, a noble gas that is expensive and relatively heavy. Lithium is more abundant, cheaper, and produces plasma with electromagnetic properties that make it ideal for high-power MPD thrusters. The combination of low weight, high efficiency, and availability makes lithium the propellant that can enable missions that current systems cannot achieve with the required launch mass.
What is missing for the technology to take astronauts to Mars
The path between the 120-kilowatt test and a crewed mission to Mars is still long. The JPL team aims to scale the power to 500 kilowatts to 1 megawatt per thruster in the coming years, which requires not only advancements in the engine itself but also in the development of nuclear power sources capable of powering the thrusters throughout the entire journey. Solar energy is not sufficient for the power levels needed at Mars‘ distance.
When fully developed and combined with compact nuclear reactors, lithium MPD thrusters could reduce launch mass and support the necessary payloads for crewed missions. Nasa has not set a deadline for the technology’s first operational flight, but the success of the February test demonstrates that the agency has not lost sight of Mars and that lithium plasma propulsion is the most promising path to put the first human on the red planet.
Do you believe Nasa will be able to solve the 23,000-hour challenge and send astronauts to Mars with this technology, or do you think SpaceX will get there first with chemical rockets? Tell us in the comments what you think about plasma propulsion and if you would like to see a human on Mars in this generation.
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