Jet engine output is measured in thrust, not horsepower. Thrust reflects the force moving an aircraft forward, making it the standard metric for jet power.

This new propulsion system could rewrite the rules of spaceflight—not to mention completely defy conventional physics.

Of course, claiming to overcome the laws of physics will raise eyebrows, but hopes were raised in 2016 with NASA’s Eagleworks team purported to measure thrust from the “impossible” drive. But alas, ...