Russian Plasma Engine Could Reach Mars in 30 Days, Outpacing SpaceX's Starship

Amiga Trombone writes: Russian scientists and designers have developed a rocket engine based on a magnetoplasma gas pedal and created a laboratory prototype of the unit. The engine will run on hydrogen. It will be able to accelerate particles — charged electrons and protons — to a speed of 100 km/s. Ships equipped with such propulsion systems will be able to reach the far corners of the solar system and go beyond it in a reasonable time, and flights to Mars will take one or two months.

The plasma engine, developed by scientists at Rosatom’s Troitsk Institute, differs fundamentally from traditional chemical rockets. Instead of relying on combustion to generate thrust, the engine uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate charged hydrogen ions to speeds of 100 km/s (360,000 km/h).