Rosatom's new plasma engine could potentially cut Mars travel time to 60 days

Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) has introduced a lab prototype of a plasma electric rocket engine that marks a major leap forward in spacecraft propulsion. Developed under Russia’s broad nuclear research program, the new engine delivers at least six newtons of thrust and boasts a specific impulse of around 100 kilometers per second (62 miles per second).

Running in a pulse-periodic mode, the engine maintains an average power of about 300 kilowatts. According to Alexey Voronov, the First Deputy Director General for Science at the Rosatom Research Institute in Troitsk, this technology could drastically cut Mars mission travel times—from the current one-year journey to somewhere between 30 and 60 days—which would, in turn, reduce astronauts’ exposure to cosmic radiation.

At the heart of this innovation is a magnetic plasma accelerator that speeds up charged particles to about 100 km/s (62 miles/s)—think of it as leaving the 4.5 km/s (2.8 miles/s) speeds of traditional chemical rockets in the dust. Junior researcher Egor Biriulin explains that the engine creates thrust via an electric propulsion system featuring two electrodes. When high voltage is applied, these charged particles whip up a magnetic field that propels the engine forward.

Testing will happen at a state-of-the-art facility in Troitsk, equipped with a four-meter-wide, 14-meter-long vacuum chamber that has high-performance vacuum pumps and efficient heat removal gear to mimic deep-space conditions.

One key advantage of this plasma engine is its high efficiency: the plasma doesn’t require intensive heating, which prevents the engine components from overheating. While conventional chemical rockets will likely still handle liftoff into orbit, this plasma engine could take the reins for interplanetary travel—eventually acting as the main propulsion system for future space tugs hauling cargo between planets.

As it sometimes happens with state-funded Chinese and Russian companies, there is some chance that this new rocket engine does not actually deliver the power Rosatom claims it does, or will never make it to production lines due to unforeseen difficulties such as the project's budget ballooning out of control.