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 ...

The AEPS is a solar electric propulsion system that uses xenon as its propellant, much like existing ion engines. Where it differs is in the power output, which should allow it to work as the ...

Hence an electric propulsion system is also referred to as an ion engine. According to Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The plume of ions ...

Top-Level PPE Conceptual Ion Propulsion System (IPS) Block Diagram. (Credit: NASA) Originally designed since 2015 to propel the AARM mission to fetch rocks from an asteroid, when AARM was ...

Ion thrusters are the most common primary engine powering satellites through orbital maneuvers today. But to travel from ...

The electrified aircraft propulsion market is on the cusp of a transformative period, with significant growth expected in the ...

These systems are characterized by the propellant used and emission mode of the ion beam. The most common of these, field emission electric propulsion (FEEP), utilize liquid metals as its ion source ...