A prototype ion engine that uses lithium vapor as a propellant has aced its first tests, achieving 25 times more power than ...

NASA has successfully tested a 120-kilowatt magnetoplasmadynamic ion thruster, 25 times more powerful than its current top-performing engine. The technology is planned to scale to megawatt levels and ...

GOCE’s sophisticated electric ion propulsion system has been switched on and confirmed to be operating normally, marking another crucial milestone in the satellite’s post-launch commissioning phase.

CLEVELAND — A small robotic surveyor arrives to explore a near-Earth asteroid. Another robotic spacecraft is returning to Earth with a pristine comet surface sample. Meanwhile, a robotic explorer is ...

NASA has successfully tested a magnetoplasmadynamic thruster with lithium propellant. The technology is considered key for ...

You're on the fourth human mission to Mars, and you're told the Odyssey spacecraft designed to take you there will be the ...