Rosatom specialists are actively developing a plasma rocket engine project with a power output of several hundred kilowatts. Viktor Ilgisone, the corporation`s Director for Scientific and Technical Research and Development, stated that this engine is expected to propel Russia to the forefront of space exploration.
As early as 2023, Rosatom engineers developed a prototype plasma accelerator with an external magnetic field for a new rocket engine. This prototype exhibits enhanced characteristics, including a thrust of at least 6 Newtons and a specific impulse exceeding 100 km/s. When operating in pulse-periodic mode, the average power of such an engine can reach 300 kW.
Ilgisone emphasized that a functional laboratory prototype currently exists. In the coming years, the plan is to develop a flight-ready laboratory model suitable for actual space missions and successfully complete its ground tests. He noted that the project is progressing successfully.
It was previously announced that such a powerful plasma rocket engine (several hundred kilowatts) would, in the future, secure Russia`s technological leadership in the space industry. This would enable a qualitatively new level of space exploration, facilitating interplanetary travel and establishing regular cargo transport between Earth and the Moon.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth