NASA is making a powerful new ion engine to send astronauts to Mars — and it just passed its 1st test

AI Summary

NASA has developed a new ion engine prototype designed to send astronauts to Mars, which has successfully passed its initial test. The engine utilizes lithium metal vapor as a propellant, demonstrating significantly enhanced power capabilities.

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