Hardware Podcasts

247. NASA’s Electric Thruster That Could Take Us to Mars

The Next Byte Podcast · 16 Jun 2026 · 18m

What this episode covers

The hosts discuss NASA’s recent breakthrough in Magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) electric propulsion, developed by NASA JPL, NASA Glenn, and Princeton University, which uses vaporized lithium to generate high thrust. They explain how this technology, operating at 120 kilowatts with a goal of 500 kilowatts to 1 megawatt, offers a 'happy medium' between fuel-heavy chemical rockets and low-thrust ion drives, potentially enabling faster human missions to Mars. The episode also covers a sponsor segment on hydrogen fuel cells for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones, contrasting their energy density with battery limitations.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
SpaceX, NASA, NASA JPL, NASA Glenn, Princeton University, Blue Origin
Products
Psyche 16, Saturn 5, Raptor engines
Also
Project Hail Mary

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