New lithium-plasma engine passes key Mars propulsion test

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

First-of-its-kind NASA lithium MPD thruster hits 120 kW in ground test

NASA has successfully ignited a prototype magnetoplasmadynamic thruster powered by lithium metal vapor, reaching ...
Hosted on MSN

NASA hits record 120 kW in lithium plasma thruster test

NASA has successfully tested a lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster at 120 kilowatts, the highest power level ever ...

NASA’s Lithium-Fed Nuclear Thruster Flares to Life in First of Its Kind Test

NASA fired up a prototype of its electromagnetic thruster inside a vacuum chamber, reaching power levels of up to 120 ...

Astrobotic’s Detonation Engine Fires 4,000 Pounds of Thrust in Wild Test

Space startup Astrobotic put its rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) to the test for the first time, demonstrating a ...
SpaceNews

Benchmark demonstrates high-throughput ASCENT thruster in hotfire testing at Edwards Air Force Base

Benchmark Macaw ASCENT thruster during hotfire testing Benchmark’s 22-Newton Macaw ASCENT thruster during hotfire at the company’s propulsion test facility near Pleasanton, California. Credit: ...
SpaceNews

Orion’s Service Module Completes Critical Propulsion Test

NASA is building a system to send astronauts to the Moon for Artemis missions, and that includes tests to make sure the Orion spacecraft is prepared to safely carry crew on an alternate mission ...
usace.army.mil

High Altitude Chamber Testing at the U.S. Army Redstone Test Center

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. (July 23, 2025) – The U.S. Army Redstone Test Center’s Propulsion Test Division has long served as the Army’s premier static test facility, boasting a rich history of evaluating ...
Aviation Week

NASA Inspector General Audit Raises Rocket Propulsion Test Concerns

NASA conducts an RS-25 hot fire test on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi in 2023. Credit: NASA Office of Inspector General HOUSTON—Much of NASA’s rocket ...
Wired

Space rocket tests will soon be carried out in Buckinghamshire

The UK Space Agency is investing £4.12 million in a new rocket testing site in Buckinghamshire. The National Propulsion Test Facility in Westcott will provide a space for UK companies and academics to ...
GovCon Wire

SAIC Wins $242M Navy Contract to Operate, Maintain Propulsion Test Facility

SAIC has secured a $241.7 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract from the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport to provide maintenance and ...
AZOM

Fueling UK Innovation Across Propulsion Testing and Precision Calibration

ABB solutions enable testing of those ‘early works’ and, later in the product cycle, help ensure the accuracy and reliability of novel technologies once they become commercially available. A leading ...