Insider Brief
- Rosatom has developed a prototype plasma rocket engine that could significantly reduce space travel times, according to a news release.
- The engine, powered by a magnetic plasma accelerator, produces six newtons of thrust, equivalent to the force of holding a small apple.
- This technology could cut Mars travel time to 30-60 days, reducing astronaut radiation exposure and improving mission feasibility.
Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom has developed a prototype plasma rocket engine, a device that the company says could drastically shorten space travel times.
The laboratory model, based on a magnetic plasma accelerator, produces at least six newtons of thrust and operates with a specific impulse of at least 100 kilometers per second, according to a news release from Atom Media, a Rosatom-affiliated media outlet.
To put six newtons of thrust into perspective, it is roughly equivalent to the force required to hold a small apple against gravity. While this may seem minimal compared to the explosive thrust of chemical rockets, plasma engines operate continuously over long periods, gradually accelerating spacecraft to extremely high speeds.
Plasma engines are a type of electric propulsion that use ionized gas to generate thrust. Unlike traditional chemical rockets, which burn fuel to produce force, plasma engines accelerate charged particles using electromagnetic fields. This process is far more efficient, allowing spacecraft to travel longer distances with significantly less fuel.
Rosatom’s new engine can generate an average power output of 300 kilowatts when operating in a pulsed mode, a level of energy that enables spacecraft to reach speeds unattainable with conventional propulsion systems. This technology could cut the travel time to Mars from nearly a year to as little as 30 to 60 days, reducing astronauts’ exposure to cosmic radiation and other space hazards, according to Alexey Voronov, First Deputy General Director for Science at Rosatom’s Scientific Institute in Troitsk.
“The creation of the prototype is one of the most important stages of the project, since it determines whether such an engine will be suitable for space “nuclear tugboats ” in the future, whether it will be possible to reduce the cost of their production as a whole,” Voronov told Atom Media.
New Nuclear and Energy Technologies Initiative
The development is part of Russia’s broader “New Nuclear and Energy Technologies” initiative, a national technological leadership project launched in 2025, Atom Media reports. A dedicated testing facility has been established in Troitsk, featuring a 14-meter-long vacuum chamber with a four-meter diameter. This setup will allow scientists to simulate space conditions, testing the engine’s performance under realistic conditions.
Rosatom’s involvement in space propulsion is part of a larger push to expand the role of nuclear technology in space exploration. The company has been working on nuclear power plants for spacecraft, including systems for transport, research missions and planetary bases. Moscow-based engineering firm MOKB Mars, which designs onboard control and navigation systems, has also contributed to Russia’s space efforts, including work on Arctic-M Earth observation satellites and Electro-L weather satellites.
Beyond propulsion, Rosatom’s research centers play a role in developing space science instruments. Scientists from Rosatom’s Sarov institute, in collaboration with MOKB Mars, helped build the control system for Spectrum-RG, Russia’s space-based X-ray observatory. The ART-XC X-ray telescope aboard the observatory is currently mapping the universe in high-energy wavelengths, providing the most detailed survey of its kind.
Radiation exposure remains a major challenge in long-duration space missions, and Rosatom has also focused on replicating space radiation conditions to test and harden spacecraft electronics. The Institute of Physical and Technical Problems, a Rosatom subsidiary, has developed a gamma-ray irradiation system to simulate orbital radiation. Another division, the Specialized Research Institute of Instrumentation, designed the Matryoshka radiation module, which has been monitoring cosmic radiation effects on human tissue aboard the International Space Station for two decades.
According to the release, Rosatom’s nuclear space technologies were originally developed under the “Development of Technology, Technology and Scientific Research in the Field of Atomic Energy Use” program, which began in 2021. That initiative funded new materials, nuclear power projects, and fusion research, among other areas. In 2025, it was absorbed into the “New Nuclear and Energy Technologies” national project, aligning with Russia’s goal of maintaining technological sovereignty and securing a competitive edge in high-tech industries.
Rosatom, as a state-owned corporation, operates under direct oversight of the Russian government and plays a central role in national nuclear and space initiatives.
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