Ion engines won’t get you out of Earth’s gravity ... The higher the specific impulse of a rocket thruster, the more thrust it generates per mass of fuel. Impulse is the integral of force ...

Unlike chemical rockets that throw out gasses for propulsion, ion engines are powered by individual atoms, which makes them ...

Hence an electric propulsion system is also referred to as an ion engine. According to Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The plume of ions ...

Unlike most interplanetary probes, 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 ...

The AEPS is a solar electric propulsion system that uses xenon as its propellant, much like existing ion engines. Where it differs is in the power output, which should allow it to work as the ...

The space agency is developing a brand-new ion thruster engine to slowly propel an Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) spaceship to a boulder in space, capture it, and bring it near the moon where ...

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