NASA Fires Up Futuristic Plasma Thruster Designed to Take Us to Mars

Glowing a mesmerizing shade of red and reaching temperatures over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, a prototype thruster at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab may hold the key to getting humans to Mars.

The agency recently tested a "lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster," reaching power levels of 120 kilowatts, roughly 25 times the output of thrusters currently propelling NASA's Psyche spacecraft toward a metal-rich asteroid.

Unlike traditional chemical rockets, this electric propulsion system uses 90 percent less propellant, building speed gradually through a steady stream of thrust rather than powerful bursts.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman called it a milestone: "This marks the first time in the United States that an electric propulsion system has operated at power levels this high."

Still, the road ahead is long. A crewed Mars mission could require up to four megawatts of power, demanding multiple thrusters running for more than 23,000 hours. But for now, NASA insists it hasn't lost sight of the Red Planet.