JPL Logo
Image

Thruster Test in JPL's Electric Propulsion Lab

June 29, 2026
A electric spacecraft thruster fires in a dark testing chamber, emitting a glowing, bright blue-white ring of plasma and a steady exhaust plume to the left.

A blue ring glows from a xenon-propelled Hall thruster during a hot-fire test inside a vacuum chamber at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in May 2026. The thruster is being developed by Vast Space, which has licensed JPL’s H10 Hall thruster design, for use on a future satellite constellation. JPL is collaborating with Vast to support the company’s thruster system development, testing, and qualification.