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Spacecraft rocket engines come in a variety ... perfect for long-range space missions to Mars and other applications, too. Let’s take a look at how ion thrusters work, and some of their ...

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 ...

Propulsion technologies are the key to exploring the outer solar system, and many organizations have been working on novel ...

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 ...

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 ...

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

Scientists have figured out how to create a new ion engine that uses 100 million times less fuel than a chemical rocket. Though the device is a lot less powerful, it could some day be a cost ...

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 ...