NASA has launched a $500,000 competition for U.S. developers of mid-power Hall-effect thrusters, aiming to expand domestic capacity in a field it links to supply-chain and national-security concerns.
The Advanced Mid-Power Electric Rocket (AMPERE) Challenge covers systems rated at 3 to 7 kilowatts. Government and industry stakeholders have identified that power range as critical for satellite, defense and exploration missions, NASA says. The contest asks companies to build and demonstrate prototypes for evaluation.
NASA's Technology Transfer Program says the broader AMPERE effort is meant to expand U.S. development and commercialization in a market where foreign providers predominate. The agency cites the supplier mix as a source of national-security and geopolitical supply-chain concerns for U.S. space missions.
NASA has set a total of $500,000 in prizes. Up to two teams may win, with each eligible for as much as $250,000 and access to agency testing and technology; the challenge spans three phases. Entrants must be incorporated in the United States and maintain a primary place of business there.
Hall-effect thrusters generate spacecraft thrust using electricity and inert gas, NASA says. The agency plans to examine prototype performance at its facilities, with an eye toward possible future NASA and commercial missions.
NASA's Technology Transfer Program says mid-power systems have seen adoption over the past decade in commercial, military and government missions. Its examples include geostationary communications and deep-space science. After the competition, the wider AMPERE effort envisions public-private partnerships with domestic producers to support commercialization.
The next listed program event is a virtual AMPERE Industry Day on Nov. 19, running from noon to 3 p.m. ET. It includes a challenge session from 1:10 to 1:50 p.m. ET. Registration, which opened Nov. 9, closes Jan. 27, 2027.
