Beijing tested a new high-thrust engine for future space missions

A Chinese research team from Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Institute announced Monday that a space thruster has achieved full-power operation.

According to Chinese State Council, the 100 kW high-thrust magnetoplasmadynamic thruster they tested is poised to pave the way for future space travel, with applications in interstellar journeys, interplanetary cargo transport and deep-space exploration.

Xi’an Aerospace Propulsion Research Institute is a comprehensive research institute for the research, design, production and testing of liquid rocket engines for strategic and tactical missiles and large space launch vehicles in China. The unit has developed more than 100 kinds of liquid rocket engines with independent intellectual property rights, which are used in missiles, rockets, satellites and spacecraft and other fields, boosting China’s “Beidou navigation” networking, Chang’e lunar exploration, Tianwen fire detection and other major aerospace tasks.

The engine is a plasma propulsion system, working by ionizing the propellant to create plasma, which is then accelerated by an electromagnetic field to form a high-speed particle stream, thus generating thrust, according to its designer Xi'an Aerospace Propulsion Institute.

The research team employed 3D-printed new materials and high-temperature superconducting magnet technology, enabling the engine system to achieve an effective input power of over 100 kilowatts. Currently, the power level of such engines typically is tens of kilowatts.

This propulsion system can be used to provide a powerful and reliable thrust for China's large and extra-large spacecraft.