Demand for electric propulsion is growing for space applications and the proposed technological solutions are evolving fast. Gridded Ion Technology allows a more efficient management of Xe, providing ...

Spacecraft rocket engines come in a variety of forms and use a variety of fuels, but most rely on chemical reactions to blast propellants out of a nozzle, with the reaction force driving the ...

Britain's QinetiQ has started commercially operating its ion propulsion chamber, with the first customer, French engine manufacturer Snecma, using the facility to test Hall Effect Thrusters. The ...

Busek’s BIT-3 RF ion thruster is an iodine-fueled gridded ion propulsion system scheduled for launch on two deep-space CubeSat missions aboard NASA’s Space Launch System rocket. Credit: Busek LOGAN, ...

Qinetiq is testing ion propulsion engines in close proximity as part of trials to develop a space propulsion system suitable for the European Space Agency's BepiColombo mission to Mercury (Flight ...

Electric propulsion can benefit the deployment of large payloads for orbit transfer. The mass and volume saved by using an electric propulsion system allows for the use of smaller launch vehicles or ...

The European Space Agency and the Australian National University have successfully tested a new design of spacecraft ion engine that dramatically improves performance over present thrusters and marks ...