Russia is developing a powerful new plasma propulsion system that it says could slash travel time to Mars to as little as one month, potentially turning what is now an eight month journey into something closer to a long haul flight.
The engine is being built by Rosatom through its Troitsk Institute in Moscow. Unlike traditional chemical rockets that burn propellant to create thrust, this design uses magnetoplasma propulsion. The system ionizes a gas, usually hydrogen, and then accelerates those charged particles using magnetic fields. The result is a steady, highly efficient stream of thrust that can keep pushing a spacecraft faster and faster over time, according to Popular Mechanics.
Chemical rockets have powered every human mission so far, but they come with limits. They burn fuel quickly and deliver short bursts of force, which makes long distance travel slower and less efficient. Even at the best launch windows, trips to Mars still take around eight months.
Plasma engines promise something very different. By continuously accelerating, they can reach far higher speeds. NASA has already explored similar ideas, funding concepts like the Pulse Plasma Rocket and the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket being developed by Ad Astra Rocket Company. Those projects aim to cut Mars travel times to roughly 45 to 60 days.
Rosatom claims it can go even faster. The Russian system reportedly achieves a specific impulse that accelerates hydrogen particles to speeds of up to 100 kilometers per second, with a power output of about 300 kilowatts. That performance, according to the company, surpasses most existing plasma thrusters, which typically operate in the 30 to 50 kilometer per second range.
If those numbers hold up, officials say a crewed spacecraft could theoretically reach Mars in about 30 days. That kind of speed would dramatically reduce astronaut exposure to radiation and microgravity, two of the biggest health risks of deep space travel.
Still, there are big questions. Building a flight ready engine by 2030 is an ambitious timeline, especially as Russia’s space sector has faced funding and organizational challenges in recent years. Plasma propulsion itself, while promising, remains largely unproven for large human missions.
Even so, the global race is clearly on. From the US to China and now Russia, agencies and companies are betting that plasma engines could define the next era of spaceflight. If they succeed, the trip to Mars may one day feel far less distant than it does today.
