JPL Tests Next-Generation Electric Thruster

A prototype of a powerful new lithium-fed electric thruster that could one day help send humans to Mars was successfully tested at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Known as a magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster, the thruster runs on lithium metal vapor and is capable of reaching power levels far beyond today’s electric propulsion systems.

During a recent test at JPL’s Electric Propulsion Lab, the thruster achieved power levels of up to 120 kilowatts, more than 25 times that of the highest-power electric thrusters on any current NASA spacecraft.

The JPL team has been developing the thruster for the past 2½ years under NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion project, based at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The test took place on Feb. 24, 2026, and its results will inform upcoming tests.

While much more development is needed before the technology can be used in space, this milestone marks an important step toward nuclear electric propulsion systems that could reduce travel time to Mars and lower risk for astronauts on long-duration missions.

Read more about the thruster test: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-fires-up-powerful-lithium-fed-thruster-for-trips-to-mars/

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech