A prototype electric plasma rocket engine capable of significantly increasing thrust and efficiency has been unveiled by Russian scientists.
The propulsion breakthrough, led by researchers at Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom, marks the latest phase in Moscow’s attempt to move toward achieving technological mastery in nuclear and space technologies amid increasing international tensions.
According to a release issued by Rosatom announcing the achievement, the new plasma engine prototype, which is constructed based on a magnetic plasma accelerator, can achieve a thrust of 6 Newtons.
Travel to Mars in Under 60 Days
“Currently, a flight to Mars using conventional engines can take almost a year one way, which is dangerous for astronauts due to cosmic radiation and radiation exposure,” said Alexey Voronov, First Deputy Director General for Science at the Rosatom Research Institute in Troitsk.
Voronov said that with plasma engines, the travel time required for such a space mission can be reduced to as little as one to two months, “meaning it will be possible to send an astronaut to Mars and back.”
Copyright: Country Rosatom).
The prototype’s development marks a key stage in Rosatom’s propulsion science efforts, which fall under Russia’s current plans to develop its nuclear science, engineering, and technology programs overall.
Since 2025, Moscow’s aims to achieve technological leadership under its “New Nuclear and Energy Technologies” program have driven this national endeavor.
“Creating a prototype is one of the most important stages of the project, since it determines whether such an engine will be suitable for space ‘nuclear tugs’ in the future, and whether it will be possible to reduce the costs of their production in general,” Voronov said in a statement.
The plasma-driven engine operates by producing successive pulses that achieve an average power of 300 kW, which greatly surpasses the capabilities of conventional chemical propulsion systems.
In addition to reaching speeds that traditional rockets cannot, the plasma prototype also significantly reduces fuel consumption by at least a factor of ten.
Plasma Rocket Engine Propulsion and the Future of Space Travel
One of the new plasma propulsion system’s most promising aspects is its potential to revolutionize deep space missions. This marks a crucial first step toward assessing whether such technologies could facilitate “nuclear tugs”—high-powered but cost-effective space transport vehicles that could make long-duration missions more feasible in the decades ahead.
Presently, a large-scale experimental stand is under construction at Rosatom’s Troitsk facility for future testing of the prototype and related plasma propulsion technologies the agency is developing. The massive facility features a 14-meter-long vacuum chamber designed to simulate the conditions of outer space.
The chamber is fitted with vacuum pumps and heat dissipation systems, which will allow scientists to gauge the plasma engine’s performance and capabilities under conditions that simulate spaceflight.
Rosatom’s Expanding Role in Space Exploration
Rosatom is also developing advanced nuclear reactors to power future spacecraft and provide energy for bases to be used by crewed missions to planets like Mars and other research facilities constructed beyond Earth.
Central to these efforts is the Moscow Experimental Design Bureau Mars (MOKB Mars), which specializes in spacecraft control and navigation systems and has been a significant contributor to past Russian space exploration efforts, which include the development of the Arktika-M series and the Elektro-L weather satellite.
Rosatom’s Sarov Institute and MOKB Mars have also been instrumental in developing space-based telescopes Russia has produced. Last year, Sarov scientists were the recipients of the Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology for their work on the Astronomical Roentgen Telescope X-ray Concentrator (ART-XC) X-ray telescope, one of two telescopes that are presently on board the Spektr-RG space observatory.
Originally launched in 2019, the ART-XC X-ray telescope is currently undertaking an all-sky survey that is expected to produce one of the most comprehensive maps of the universe ever created in the X-ray spectrum.
This telescope, launched in 2019, is conducting an all-sky survey that will provide the most comprehensive map of the universe in the X-ray spectrum. Among its other projects, Rosatom is also working on its ambitious next-generation space laser communication system, which the agency says will transmit data up to distances of 45,000 km, facilitating rapid and secure information exchange between Earth and low-orbit satellites.
Radiation Protection and Technological Innovation
Along with its advancements in power generation for propulsion, Rosatom scientists are also looking into the effects of human exposure to radiation while in space. Presently, the Institute of Physical and Technical Problems
In parallel with propulsion and power advancements, Rosatom specialists are tackling one of the biggest challenges of human spaceflight: radiation exposure, which can also severely impact electronics on board spacecraft.
According to a Rosatom statement, engineers with the Institute of Physical and Technical Problems, Rosatom’s JSC IFTP, Automated Process Control Systems, and Electrical Engineering Division have reportedly developed a new gamma-ray irradiator capable of simulating the effects of cosmic radiation.
The technology could prove to be instrumental in testing the resilience of electronic systems within spacecraft under extreme space conditions. It builds on the capabilities of the Matryoshka module, created by engineers at the Specialized Scientific Research Institute of Instrument Engineering (JSC SNIIP), which has operated aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly two decades.
Providing critical data on radiation exposure with measurements of dose distribution across various compartments of the ISS, the Matryoshka module has helped ensure astronaut safety for long-duration missions often required by astronauts working aboard the station, which NASA will decommission in the years ahead.
Although Russia has said it plans to support NASA with its plans to destroy the ISS, the country’s current plans to leave the station by the end of this decade have been complicated amid new challenges it faces in constructing its own Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS). Presently, Moscow has faced limited access to crucial space technologies due to sanctions in response to the country’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Additionally, costs stemming from the ongoing conflict have significantly impacted Moscow’s space budget, further delaying rocket and satellite development, meaning that plans to launch ROSS’s first module by as soon as 2027 will likely be postponed.
A New Era of Plasma Rocket Engines Nuclear Space Technologies
Such challenges, which are already impacting Russia’s role as a leader in the 21st-century space race, have hastened the country’s efforts to innovate viable space technologies. As leaders of Russia’s Development of Equipment, Technologies, and Scientific Research in the Field of Atomic Energy Use in the Russian Federation (KP RTTN) initiative, Rosacom, in collaboration with the Kurchatov Institute, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, have worked to secure new advancements in nuclear power, thermonuclear fusion, and space-related technologies.
Later this year, if current timelines are met, it is expected that several projects born out of the initiative will transition into a new national program, dubbed the “New Nuclear and Energy Technologies” program, which Rosatom says will also work to help reposition Russia as a technological leader with an industrial and competitive edge, all while the U.S. has sought new partnerships on space technologies with nations like Saudi Arabia in recent months.
Rosatom says that with state-funded investments and an ever-growing research and development infrastructure, Moscow could nonetheless position itself as a leader in nuclear-powered space exploration with the help of projects like its new plasma propulsion prototype.
Along with advanced propulsion, its efforts to develop state-of-the-art radiation protection capabilities and deep-space communication technologies will assist Rosatom in laying the groundwork for future interplanetary missions.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.