All articles tagged with #electric engines
NASA has successfully tested powerful new electric engines for the Lunar Gateway, a space station orbiting the Moon that will serve as a staging point for lunar and future deep space missions. These efficient electric thrusters will enable longer, more cost-effective trips by using electricity instead of fuel, marking a significant advancement in space propulsion technology and preparing for future Mars exploration.
Russian scientists have developed a plasma-based propulsion system that could potentially reduce the Earth–Mars travel time from about 9 months to just 30-60 days by using high-velocity ionized particles for efficient, sustained space travel, marking a significant advancement in interplanetary propulsion technology.
NASA's Psyche mission has activated its electric Hall thrusters, propelling the spacecraft towards the metal-rich Psyche asteroid in the main asteroid belt. Launched in October 2023, Psyche is now in "full cruise" mode and has successfully tested laser-based deep space communications. Expected to reach the asteroid by 2029, the mission will study the object, believed to be the core of a planetesimal, for two years. Ion propulsion, used by Psyche, is efficient and durable, allowing the spacecraft to travel at high speeds with minimal fuel.