Portal’s heat exchanger thruster, known as Flare, fires up during a test in a vacuum chamber. (Portal Space Systems Photo) Bothell, Wash.-based Portal Space Systems says it has successfully tested its ...

I’ve grown up with rockets that burn chemical fuel, but NASA’s next big leap in propulsion could make those engines look as dated as steam trains. By turning to nuclear power in space, the agency is ...

Engineers have built a modern Stirling engine that quietly turns the cold of outer space into steady mechanical power, using the night sky as a heat sink instead of a fuel tank. By radiating heat away ...

BROOMFIELD, Colo., August 11, 2025 – MMA Space has developed a low-cost solar array capable of generating tens of kilowatts that can be manufactured in a fraction of the time of conventional solar ...

Long before any spacecraft can attempt a faster journey to Mars, scientists must first solve one of space exploration’s biggest challenges: propulsion.

Space-based solar power represents a transformative shift in renewable energy, capturing sunlight in orbit and transmitting electricity to Earth continuously. Orbiting photovoltaic arrays receive ...