A team of researchers has come up with plasma beam that can push space debris out of orbit. Mounted on a satellite, the two-way facing beam is produced by a bespoke ion thruster that uses its ...

A Tohoku University researcher has increased the performance of a high-power electrodeless plasma thruster, moving us one step closer to deeper explorations into space. y, several space missions have ...

Phase Four RF thrusters use plasma and electromagnetism to launch satellites. NASA's interested.

When [Jay Bowles] demoed his first-generation ion thruster on Plasma Channel, the resulting video picked up millions of views and got hobbyists and professionals alike talking. While ionic lifters ...

MN rf plasma thrusters, or helicon thrusters as they are sometimes known, offer simplicity, operational flexibility, and a potentially high thrust-to-power ratio.

New iodine-based plasma thruster tested in orbit Iodine doesn't need a high-pressure propellant tank, as it can be stored as a solid.

Ion thrusters are the most common primary engine powering satellites through orbital maneuvers today. But to travel from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to farther orbits—or even the Moon—requires a ...

Ion thrusters need a power source and an effective one if they will last more than a decade under thrust. The paper defined an ideal power plan that can output 1 kW per kg of weight.

Busek’s Iodine RF Ion Thruster (RFIT) is being developed to achieve orbit-raising and station-keeping for microsatellites in the <100kg mass range, or de-orbit for satellites in the same weight ...

Spacecraft have used ion drives to explore the moon and deep space, but a new study aims to boost the electric propulsion idea to keep satellites around Earth alive longer.

The magnetic nozzle rf plasma thruster operated in a Mega hpt vacuum chamber at Tohoku University CREDIT Kazunori Takahashi A Tohoku University researcher has increased the performance of a high ...

The magnetic nozzle rf plasma thruster operated in a Mega hpt vacuum chamber at Tohoku University CREDIT Kazunori Takahashi A Tohoku University researcher has increased the performance of a high ...