An ion thruster, ion drive, or ion engine is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. An ion thruster creates a cloud of positive ions from a neutral gas by ionizing it to extract some electrons from its atoms. The ions are then accelerated using electricity to …

May 3, 2024 · 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 are being designed for a wide variety of missions—from keeping communications satellites in the proper position (station-keeping) to pro-pelling spacecraft throughout our solar system.

In spaceflight, an ion thruster or drive is a form of electric propulsion used by spacecraft in the vacuum of Space. It works by creating positively charged atoms or ions, which are accelerated at very high velocities through electrically charged grids at the back of the engine to produce thrust.

Nov 4, 2023 · NASA and aerospace company, Aerojet Rocketdyne, have successfully completed qualification testing of the Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS), which is a 12-kilowatt, solar electric...

Aug 21, 2018 · Ion propulsion systems ionize (charge) atoms and then exploit their non-neutral charge to expel them from the spacecraft, creating thrust. Dawn’s gridded ion thrusters achieve this by accelerating xenon, ionized by an electron beam, through a …

Nov 3, 2015 · Ion propulsion, long dreamed of in science fiction, is now used to send probes and spacecraft on long journeys through space. NASA first began researching ion propulsion in the 1950’s.

Oct 6, 2016 · An Australian rocket scientist has built a prototype ion drive that could one day power a return trip to Mars using recycled space junk for fuel.

Nov 21, 2018 · The Economist highlights how MIT researchers have developed the first plane that is powered by an ion drive and has no moving parts. “The use of an ion drive means the MIT craft contains no moving propulsion parts in the form of propellers or jet …

An ion engine is an electrostatic acceleration propulsion system that obtains thrust by electrostatically accelerating plasma. They are mainly used to provide propulsion for space probes and satellites.