Ad Astra Rocket Company and NASA move to execution phase of NextSTEP VASIMR® partnership

I missed this. Guess it was not in MSM. This is going to enable serious exploration of our solar system when completed. While there are all kinds of amazing new things on the horizon "Warp Theories", "EM Drives", this VASIMR engine is pretty solid and still in the works. I thought maybe it was dropped but no!! Originally it was scheduled to be tested on ISS by 2015 but I guess budget cuts slowed us down. Dang wars...

PRESS RELEASE 081015, August 10, 2015 Ad Astra Rocket Company and NASA move to execution phase of NextSTEP VASIMR® partnership
Since its inception in 2005, Ad Astra has
continued to advance the technology readiness
level (TRL) of the VASIMR® engine almost
exclusively with private funding. This funding
enabled the company to complete more than
10,000 successful high power firings,
demonstrating the engine’s excellent reliability and
performance (6 N thrust, 5000 sec Isp at greater
than 70% efficiency) with no measurable signs of
engine wear.

More NEWS!
Wonder if this magnetic field could be incorporated into a human spacecraft design for protecting crews and cargo from radiation and other particles in space? Even if the mangnetic field cannot contain the engine operations and protect the crew at same time, I could see a design that allow the crew to shut down the engine and reconfigure the magnetic field to protect the ship crew and cargo should the Sun or other radiation sources be directed toward the craft while in operation. If only we could get some leaders in government to see how space exploration can move man toward peace and future rather than in fighting over earth resources and land.

PRESS RELEASE 092215, September 22, 2015
Ad Astra Rocket Company in Orbital ATK
Team Selected for NASA’s second Research
and Technology for Aerospace Propulsion
Systems (RTAPS) Contract
ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
Short for Variable Specific Impulse
Magnetoplasma Rocket, VASIMR® works with
plasma, an electrically charged gas that can be
heated to extreme temperatures by radio waves
and controlled and guided by strong magnetic
fields. The magnetic field also insulates nearby
structures so exhaust temperatures well beyond
the melting point of materials can be achieved. In
rocket propulsion, the higher the temperature of
the exhaust gases, the higher their velocity and
the higher the fuel efficiency. Plasma rockets
feature exhaust velocities far above those
achievable by their chemical co

Here is more on what VASIMR can do.

Abstract VASIMR® Human Mission to Mars . Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR®) powered by multi megawatt advanced nuclear
reactor power source can deliver human occupied vehicle to Mars in 39 days, as calculated by mission trajectory
optimization software. The simulations demonstrated the following desired conditions for the fast mission: using EarthMoon
Lagrange point as a departure state, variable specific impulse regime of the thruster at the maximal constant power,
and arriving to Mars sphere of influence with maximal allowed for aero-braking speed.

I won't hold my breath. VASMIR has been around since the 70's and still no rocket.