xp65 writes "Ad Astra Rocket Company has successfully demonstrated operation of its VX-200 plasma engine first stage at full power and under superconducting conditions in tests conducted at the company's Houston laboratory. This achievement is a key milestone in the engine's development and the first time ever a superconducting plasma rocket has been operated at that power level. The VX-200 engine is the first flight-like prototype of the VASIMR propulsion system, a new high-power plasma-based rocket, initially studied by NASA and now being developed privately by Ad Astra. VASIMR engines could enable space operations far more efficiently than today's chemical rockets and ultimately they could also greatly speed up robotic and human transit times for missions to Mars and beyond." Link to Original Source
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