[Photo Credit to Pixabay]

An early test of a new electromagnetic thruster at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) was successfully conducted on April 28th, providing a preview of how astronauts might eventually reach Mars. 

In a significant test of the experimental engine, engineers at JPL in Southern California fired it at power levels greater than any comparable test ever carried out in the US. 

This thruster represents a major advancement in electric propulsion, operating on lithium metal vapor, and this technology has the potential to power robotic missions throughout the solar system if it is further improved. 

The prototype's performance in this initial test exceeded that of any electric thruster currently utilized on NASA spacecraft and the findings are anticipated to guide a number of future tests meant to improve and expand the technology.

The thruster's excellent performance in this test shows significant progress toward the goal of landing an American astronaut on the so-called Red Planet. 

This is the first time an electric propulsion system has operated at power levels as high as 120 kilowatts in the US, and NASA will keep making calculated expenditures to drive that next big leap. 

During the five ignition cycles, the  thruster's primary tungsten electrode heated up significantly,  shining white at temperatures above 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,800 degrees Celsius). 

The test took place in the Electric Propulsion Lab at JPL, which has a specialized vacuum chamber built to safely assess engines that use metal vapor propellants at very high power levels. 

With up to 90% less propellant, electric propulsion technologies are significantly more efficient than conventional chemical rockets. 

They produce a continuous push over extended periods of time rather than a strong thrust burst, which gradually accelerates spacecraft to extremely high speeds.

This strategy is already employed in NASA's ongoing missions as the Psyche spacecraft utilizes electric thrusters that are driven by solar energy to produce constant push, eventually reaching speeds of 124,000 mph. 

A lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster is the new engine under testing. 

Although the concept has been around since the 1960s, it has never been put into practice and in contrast to current systems, this design produces more thrust at higher power levels by accelerating lithium plasma using powerful electrical currents and magnetic fields. 

In this initial test, the thruster's maximum output reached 120 kilowatts, which is more than 25 times that of the engines currently operating on Psyche. 

As a result, it is currently the most powerful electric propulsion system tested in the US.

This is an important milestone for NASA because it not only demonstrated the thruster's functionality but also achieved the desired power levels. 

The next challenge involves further increasing the engine's power, as researchers hope to reach levels per thruster between 500 kWh and 1 megawatt in the coming years. 

Engineers must ensure that the system can function dependably for extended periods of time because it runs in extremely hot conditions.

Two to four megawatts of total power might be needed for a crewed Mars expedition, and that would require more than 23,000 hours of cooperation between several thrusters. 

This thruster has been under development for the last two and a half years with JPL in charge of the endeavor while collaborating with NASA's Glenn Research Center and Princeton University.