Space exploration has always relied on the continuous improvement of spacecraft propulsion systems. As humanity dreams of reaching new frontiers, like Mars and beyond, one area of focus has been ...

Every year, companies and space agencies launch hundreds of rockets into space—and that number is set to grow dramatically with ambitious missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. But these dreams hinge ...

For years, space architecture was treated mostly as a question of placement: where to put a spacecraft, and how reliably it could hold position. That framing is now too narrow. A growing number of ...

The Dense Orbital Transfer System (DOTS) prototype is seeking to demonstrate a higher thrust and rapid maneuver capability for small satellites. Credit: Parabilis Space Technologies WASHINGTON — Small ...

NASA is repurposing the Advanced Electric Propulsion System to support its SR-1 nuclear reactor program. Credit: NASA Glenn Research Center Driven by an urgent U.S. government mandate to develop space ...

MIT researchers have shown that one fuel can power both chemical and electric spacecraft thrusters, potentially transforming what small satellites can do. The approach combines quick bursts of speed ...

A powerful new electromagnetic thruster has taken a major step forward after a successful high-energy test at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Fueled by lithium vapor and driven by intense magnetic ...

Human crews headed for Mars are still looking at journeys that last most of a year, long enough for radiation, boredom and mechanical risk to pile up. Nuclear propulsion promises to compress that ...

Humanity’s plans for deep-space exploration hinge on the ability to use basic resources, such as water, to propel rockets to farther destinations in the solar system. Despite decades of ...

Space propulsion company Pulsar Fusion has achieved “first plasma” in its Sunbird nuclear fusion rocket, designed to propel rockets faster than any object has ever traveled. Reading time 2 minutes ...

Portal Space Systems, a 4-year-old Bothell startup, wants to make it easier for spacecraft to move between orbits. To make that happen, it had to dust off decades-old research on an unorthodox ...

Every year, companies and space agencies launch hundreds of rockets into space – and that number is set to grow dramatically with ambitious missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. But these dreams ...