Researchers in China have unveiled a plasma-based jet propulsion concept that generates thrust using air and electrical energy rather than conventional combustion. This analysis reviews the physics ...

The world’s heavy reliance on fossil fuels, especially for transportation, has left a deep mark on both the planet and public health. Burning these fuels releases a flood of greenhouse gases, which ...

FORGET fuel-powered jet engines. We’re on the verge of having aircraft that can fly from the ground up to the edge of space using air and electricity alone. Traditional jet engines create thrust by ...

A laboratory in Troitsk, Russia, may have just nudged humanity closer to interplanetary commuting. Scientists at Rosatom, the country's state nuclear corporation, have revealed a working prototype of ...

In the relentless quest to make journeys to Mars shorter and safer, Russian scientists have recently turned heads with a bold claim: A plasma-based propulsion system could cut the Earth–Mars transit ...

Something to look forward to: Scientists have created a laboratory prototype of a plasma electric rocket engine that could revolutionize space travel. Based on a magnetic plasma accelerator, this ...

The coming decades of space exploration hinge on a single, stubborn number: the 225 million kilometres between Earth and Mars. Chemical rockets, the workhorses of every space programme to date, take ...

The big picture: In deep-space travel, the race is no longer about who has the biggest rocket – it's about who can build the smartest plasma engine. As the competition to reach Mars intensifies, ...

Long before any spacecraft can attempt a faster journey to Mars, scientists must first solve one of space exploration’s biggest challenges: propulsion. Chemical rockets, used to launch spacecraft into ...