![]() Īpplications include control of the orientation and position of orbiting satellites (some satellites have dozens of low-power ion thrusters), use as a main propulsion engine for low-mass robotic space vehicles (such as Deep Space 1 and Dawn), and serving as propulsion thrusters for crewed spacecraft and space stations (e.g. The Dawn spacecraft broke the record, with a velocity change of 11.5 km/s (7.1 mi/s), though it was only half as efficient, requiring 425 kg (937 lb) of xenon. ![]() The Deep Space 1 spacecraft, powered by an ion thruster, changed velocity by 4.3 km/s (2.7 mi/s) while consuming less than 74 kg (163 lb) of xenon. Ion thrusters in operation typically consume 1–7 kW of power, have exhaust velocities around 20–50 km/s ( I sp 2000–5000 s), and possess thrusts of 25–250 mN and a propulsive efficiency 65–80% though experimental versions have achieved 100 kW (130 hp), 5 N (1.1 lb f). Temporarily stored electrons are reinjected by a neutralizer in the cloud of ions after it has passed through the electrostatic grid, so the gas becomes neutral again and can freely disperse in space without any further electrical interaction with the thruster.īy contrast, electromagnetic thruster ions are accelerated by the Lorentz force to accelerate all species (free electrons as well as positive and negative ions) in the same direction whatever their electric charge, and are specifically referred to as plasma propulsion engines, where the electric field is not in the direction of the acceleration. ![]() Ion thrusters are categorized as either electrostatic or electromagnetic.Įlectrostatic thruster ions are accelerated by the Coulomb force along the electric field direction. It creates thrust by accelerating ions using electricity.Īn ion thruster ionizes a neutral gas by extracting some electrons out of atoms, creating a cloud of positive ions. The 2.3 kW NSTAR ion thruster developed by NASA for the Deep Space 1 spacecraft during a hot fire test at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1999) NEXIS ion engine test (2005) A prototype of a xenon ion engine being tested at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2005)Īn ion thruster, ion drive, or ion engine is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. For the air propulsion concept, see ionocraft. This article is about a kind of reaction engine.
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