Space & Astronomy

Next-gen 'magnetoplasma' rocket could get humans to Mars in 30 days

By T.K. Randall
February 5, 2026 ·  6 comments

Image: Science Fiction Starship
Credit: Alorin / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Boasting greater efficiency and speed than conventional chemical rockets, plasma engines could one day make it possible for a spacecraft to reach Mars within a matter of days, rather than months or years.

Plasma engines work by ionizing a propellant gas and accelerating the resulting charged particles using electric or magnetic fields to produce thrust.

Both NASA and the Russian space agency have been working on developing this technology in recent years, with their efforts boasting potential travel times of 45 or 30 days to Mars respectively.

NASA's versions include the Pulse Plasma Rocket (via NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts) and the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (via the Texas-based Ad Astra Rocket Company).Russia, meanwhile, is working on the magnetoplasma accelerator in Moscow which, according to reports, could be ready for testing by as early as 2030.

Elsewhere, China is also trying to get in on the action with the Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Institute developing what it calls a "high-thrust magnetic plasma thruster".

In fact it seems as though the development of the plasma engine has itself initiated a kind of 21st-Century space race of sorts, with at least three major competitors battling it out.

Which country will ultimately manage to build a working plasma engine first, however, remains to be seen.

Source: Popular Mechanics | Comments (6)

Tags: Russia, Rocket, Plasma