Spacecraft electric propulsion (or just electric propulsion) is a type of spacecraft propulsion technique that uses electrostatic or electromagnetic fields to accelerate mass to high speed and thus generating thrust to modify the velocity of a spacecraft in orbit. [1]

Electric Propulsion (EP) is a class of space propulsion which makes use of electrical power to accelerate a propellant by different possible electrical and/or magnetic means. The use of electrical power enhances the propulsive performances of the EP thrusters compared with conventional chemical thrusters.

Jan 25, 2025 · Spacecraft powered by electric propulsion could soon be better protected against their own exhaust, thanks to new supercomputer simulations.

• Electric propulsion systems require large power source which limits their use. • Commonly used in applications requiring very high Isp’s, but low thrust densities.

• NASA has been making investments since ~2015 in technologies related to electric aircraft propulsion. These investments span all-electric with our four passenger X-plane and electric vertical lift studies, to regional flight demonstrators and targeted technology maturation programs.

Apr 23, 2024 · Small spacecraft using the NASA-H71M electric propulsion technology will be able to independently maneuver from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to the Moon or even from a geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO) to Mars.

Oct 22, 2020 · An electric propulsion system uses energy collected by either solar arrays (solar electric propulsion) or a nuclear reactor (nuclear electric propulsion) to generate thrust, eliminating many of the needs and limitations of storing propellants onboard.

Nov 30, 2015 · An overview of NASA efforts in the area of hybrid electric and turboelectric propulsion in large transport.

Different types of electric propulsion distinguish themselves in how ions are produced and accelerated. In an electrospray thrusters, charged particles are pulled directly out of a liquid propellant using a strong electric field and accelerated using charged electrodes.

Feb 21, 2020 · But what is electric propulsion (EP), and how does it differ from the chemical propulsion systems found on standard spacecraft? Is it similar to the difference between a traditional gasoline-powered car versus the increasingly popular electric car?