Ion engines won’t get you out of Earth’s gravity well, nor do they work in the atmosphere, but become useful when you’re in the vacuum of space. Credit: NASA, public domain Before we dive ...

While these massive devices are marvels of human engineering, the real workhorses of the space industry are the immensely ...

Dawn is not propelled by a chemical rocket engine, but by a solar-electric ion propulsion system, particularly suitable for long-distance flights. This innovative propulsion concept was first used in ...

much like existing ion engines. Where it differs is in the power output, which should allow it to work as the primary propulsion method for large deep space and cargo missions. Much of the ...

but still an advance over the ion engines that have flown in space so far. At one end is a cathode tube that spits out electrons. They collide with a neutral gas, in this case xenon, knocking off ...

In its place, NASA installed E2061 into the Engine 4 position on the Artemis II core stage. This engine was the final one built for the shuttle. NASA certified the engine for flight in 2008, and it ...

LYON, France–Ion-X, a startup company betting on the use of ionic micropropulsion for small satellites, is planning to deliver its first commercial motor in 2026. In space operations ...

Advanced propulsion technologies, such as ion engines and nuclear thermal rockets, are also being explored for future space exploration missions.

NASA-developed space batteries are now being adapted for household energy storage, offering long-lasting and reliable power.

Russian scientists have unveiled an ambitious new plasma engine that could ... be harvested in space. ・Efficient acceleration: Lighter atoms allow for faster ion acceleration, maximizing propuls ...

Dr. King is an experimentalist interested in studying electric space propulsion systems, including Hall-effect thrusters, ion engines, and arcjets. By utilizing strong electromagnetic forces to ...