NASA’s New Record Breaking X3 Ion Thruster Could Be Used For Manned Mission to Mars

The development of the X3 engine, designed at the University of Michigan in cooperation with the US Air Force, is still underway, but the technology already looks promising for long-distance space travel. During tests at the Genn Research Center of NASA in Ohio, the X3 ion thruster generated 5.4 newtons of thrust. The previous record was 3.3 N. “It operated … Continue reading →