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- Thirty seconds to Mars: how plasma engines will accelerate deep space exploration
Thirty seconds to Mars: how plasma engines will accelerate deep space exploration
One of the directions of cosmonautics development, which Russia relies on today, is the creation of innovative plasma engines. The technology itself exists and has been in use for quite some time. However, Russian scientists are proposing new designs with a number of unique advantages. The creation of several prototypes is aimed at solving various tasks, from extending the life of satellites to reducing the time of long—range space flights. Whether plasma engines will help humanity conquer Mars is in the "Izvestia" article.
Soviet quality
Plasma thrusters have been used on spacecraft for over 60 years. Despite the fact that abroad the most common installation option is called the Hall motor, since its operation uses the effect discovered by the American physicist Edwin Hall, in which a transverse potential difference occurs in a conductor with a current under the influence of a magnetic field, it would be incorrect to consider the pioneers of the US industry.
The importance of the Soviet Union in the emergence of this technology cannot be overestimated: Konstantin Tsiolkovsky expressed the idea of creating a jet device that would allow reaching the nearest star in 10-40 years due to particle acceleration back in 1903. And in the 1950s, the development of plasma engines began in the Plasma Research Department of the Institute of Atomic Energy (IAE) of the USSR Academy of Sciences together with OKB-1 under the leadership of designer Sergei Korolev.
"In 1964", as Evgeny Stepin, Director of the "Cosmocenter" Center for Space Research and Technology at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Senior researcher at the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, points out, two significant events took place — the first-ever use of ablative pulsed plasma engines in outer space on the Soviet automatic interplanetary station Zond-2 and The US launch of the SERT-1 suborbital rocket with two ion engines.
The Soviet station was sent to Mars. At that time, it was not possible to get closer to the Red Planet due to problems with the deployment of solar panels, but the launch itself became a landmark for the development of this area.
At the same time, in December 1971, the "Meteor-1-10" satellite was sent into space, equipped with a stationary plasma engine (SPD) by Alexei Morozov. This installation is a type of electric rocket engine in which the working fluid (for example, xenon) is converted into ionized plasma, which creates reactive thrust due to acceleration by an electromagnetic field.
This technology eventually became widespread. Even new spacecraft equipped with plasma engines are mainly powered by SPD. Most of these devices are manufactured by the Russian Design Bureau "Fakel", and they are in demand all over the world. With the help of the Russian SPD, for example, the European Smart-1 probe was delivered to the Moon from Earth orbit. Therefore, Russia's priority in the creation and use of plasma electric propulsion systems is recognized by all the leading space powers.
Plasma engines are designed to operate specifically in outer space. For aircraft that move in the atmosphere (airplanes, helicopters, UAVs, launch vehicles), such installations are an extremely inefficient option, Evgeny Stepin believes. In this case, there are no adequate alternatives to classical solutions (chemical-fueled jet engines, blades, etc.) yet.
— Atmospheric resistance requires powerful engines with high thrust, whereas plasma engines do not have it. Their advantage is revealed in airless space, in a vacuum where there is no resistance of the environment: due to the high specific impulse and operating life, these engines are much more efficient and economical in space than "chemical" engines and allow them to develop much higher speeds, thereby significantly reducing the time for flights to the target object — a planet or an asteroid, explains the scientist..
Is there life on Mars
Work on improving plasma engines in Russia is actively continuing. In recent years, several propulsion systems have been created and tested in the country at once. The purpose of the devices is different: some are needed to improve the efficiency of small satellites, others are designed to fulfill a long-held dream of mankind and help reach other planets.
The development of "Rosatom" looks especially remarkable against this background. The prototype plasma jet engine, created by the Troitsk Institute for Innovative and Thermonuclear Research, part of the state corporation, is designed specifically for long-range space flights. The technology began to be developed back in 2021. And in February 2025, scientists announced the creation of a laboratory prototype, starting the stage of bench and resource testing in 2026. The appearance of a flight model is scheduled for 2030.
The average power of this plasma engine, operating in a pulse-periodic mode, reaches 300 kW. This allows the spacecraft to accelerate to speeds inaccessible to traditional chemical engines. At the same time, the fuel reserve is used more efficiently, which reduces its demand tenfold.
"All space powers are currently developing powerful plasma engines," says Konstantin Gutorov, Deputy director of the Rosatom Science Institute in Troitsk.
— Speaking specifically about our plasma rocket engine, there are no analogues abroad. But there are competing developments of plasma engines based on other principles," he clarifies.
The most famous competitive solution, according to the "Izvestia" interlocutor, is the VASIMR engine of the Ad Astra Rocket company. This company demonstrated a prototype engine with a thrust of up to 5.4 N, designed for a power of 200 kW and a change in specific impulse in the range from 20 to 50 km/s.
However, as the expert notes, "Rosatom" prototype has superiority in terms of a set of characteristics — thrust of 6 N, specific impulse of 100 km / s and traction power over 300 kW.
— The key competitive advantage of our development is the high energy efficiency, over 80%, — Konstantin Gutorov emphasizes.
This plasma engine can run continuously for at least 100 days. And the outflow velocity of the plasma stream is ten times faster than the jet velocity during the combustion of chemical fuel in rockets (barely exceeding 4.5 km/s). Such characteristics open up new possibilities for flights to planets close to Earth.
It is expected, for example, that such an installation will reduce the flight time to Mars to 30-60 days. "With the available technologies, such a mission can stretch for almost a year in one direction," Nikolai Klimov, Director of Science and Strategy at the Rosatom Scientific Institute in Troitsk, previously pointed out. And this is not only difficult psychologically, but also dangerous for the health of astronauts due to exposure to radiation and radiation.
Evgeny Stepin confirms that due to their characteristics and efficiency in outer space, the mainline plasma engines for space vehicles (which include the development of "Rosatom") open up new horizons for mankind in the exploration and exploration of the Solar system. First of all, we are talking about the Moon, Mars and Venus. Subsequently, the moons of Jupiter and the asteroid belt can also be explored with the help of engines.
The global race for the opportunity to make a manned flight to Mars is becoming more active. For example, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has already announced that in two years his company will send the first unmanned spacecraft to this planet. If successful, they will try to deliver the first crew to Mars in two more years. The American entrepreneur expects that about 20 years later it will be possible to establish a self-sufficient city on the Red Planet.
"Rosatom" scientists, by the way, are not the only ones in Russia trying to create a plasma engine suitable for interplanetary flights. Tests of an electrodeless plasma engine are underway at the "Kurchatov Institute" Research Center. In April of this year, it was reported that the prototype was being tested in an installation simulating space conditions. The developers also believe that in the future such a device can be used for flights to other planets, including Mars.
At the same time, since space is a very unfriendly place, in order to realize full—fledged manned space flights to other planets, it is necessary to solve a number of technical problems, such as protection from radiation, organization of a life support system, etc., warns Evgeny Stepin.
—And for the operation of a marching plasma propulsion system, it is also required to provide it with power supply, the source of which is considered, in particular, compact nuclear installations, which also poses the task of removing excess heat from the apparatus, which is a non—trivial problem in space conditions," the Izvestia interlocutor emphasizes.
The reactive effect
However, work is underway to create plasma engines that can be used in the very near future. We are talking about installations that will improve the efficiency of small satellites.
The use of electric jet and plasma engines on orbiting satellites allows them to adjust the orbit and perform various maneuvers, explains Evgeny Stepin.
— Currently, such engines cannot be dispensed with when building multi—satellite groupings and for launching vehicles from orbit into the atmosphere after their service life in solving the problem of space debris accumulation, - the scientist is convinced.
Plasma engines for nanosatellites (devices with a small mass from 1 to 10 kg) are being developed by scientists at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. Back in February 2023, specialists completed firing tests of the VERA ablative pulsed plasma propulsion system with increased thrust. The device has successfully passed the test as part of the "Svyatobor-1" nanosatellite. The peculiarity of this engine is that the specialists managed to significantly reduce its dimensions and weight, while maintaining acceptable thrust while significantly reducing power consumption (to a level of no more than 3 watts).
In turn, specialists from the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), together with scientists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), have created a low-power plasma engine powered by krypton to work with low-orbit satellites. The propulsion system, as noted in the press service of the MAI, will be able to maintain orbital altitude, avoid collisions with space debris and bring satellites out of orbit in a controlled manner at the end of their service life. It is assumed that from the beginning of operation in space, the engine will be able to work for up to seven years.
In addition, MAI scientists have created a pulsed plasma engine for ultra-small CubeSat satellites. At its core, the development is close to the VERA installation created at MEPhI. It is also designed to significantly expand the power capabilities of such devices. This engine surpasses competitors in an important parameter — the total thrust impulse — and is easy to manufacture, which simplifies mass production.
SPD-140 plasma engines
By the way, work continues in the Russian Federation to improve other plasma engines. " " In March 2023,"Roscosmos, for example, announced the successful testing of the stationary plasma engine SPD-70M on krypton, created at the OKB "Fakel". And in March 2024, the KM-55 plasma engine for small satellites was tested in the Keldysh Center.
At the current stage, Russian scientists involved in the development of innovative plasma engines still have a lot of work to do. However, if successful, Russia will be able to strengthen its position in the space industry, leaving competitors far behind.
— Our country was the first in the world to send an electric jet plasma engine into outer space and turn on an automatic interplanetary station, the first in the world to launch a stationary plasma engine into orbit as part of an artificial satellite of the Earth and remains one of the leaders in the development of such devices. Of course, when the new developments are fully completed and successfully demonstrate themselves in "combat" conditions, this will further strengthen our country's position in the race to explore near and far outer space," summarizes Evgeny Stepin.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
