VASIMR, the propulsion system Ad Astra has been ... They have to keep pushing—like the engines they hope to fly someday.

According to Ad Astra, VASIMR VX-200SS program has completed six years of development and testing under a NASA NextSTEP contract with the goal of demonstrating a steady-state, 100-kW engine at a ...

Conventional rockets have limited room for improvement in this area, because increasing the exhaust velocity increases the danger of engine meltdown. VASIMR solves the problem by eliminating parts ...