NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne are taking a big step in testing a new ion propulsion engine that will help power lunar exploration. The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) has been undergoing ...

This new propulsion system could rewrite the rules of spaceflight—not to mention completely defy conventional physics.

The delivery of three 12 kilowatt Hall-effect thrusters to NASA’s Lunar Gateway marks a pivotal moment in how the United ...

Plasmoid thrusters have had successful proof of principle experiments done in the lab at Princeton University. The systems should be compact and simple and based upon magnetism present in solar flares ...

Starlight’s Crucible Hall-effect thruster and Benchmark’s 22-newton Ocelot bipropellant thruster each undergo testing for a range of targeted mission applications. Credit: Benchmark Space Systems ...

A Xantus electric thruster by Benchmark Space Systems in ground tests. Credit: Benchmark Space Systems WASHINGTON — Benchmark Space’s first electric thruster is in orbit and ready to begin operations ...

The distant and cold Voyager 1 spacecraft did a clever thruster trick to help it phone home. "All the decisions we will have to make going forward are going to require a lot more analysis and caution ...

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 ...

NASA has begun qualification testing on what it calls "cutting-edge" solar electric propulsion (SEP) thrusters. The innovative thrusters will be showcased on the Gateway space station that will orbit ...

The Voyager 1 spacecraft has been cruising through the cosmos for 47 years, collecting precious data beyond the solar system. All that interstellar travel, however, is taking its toll on the probe.

(Credit: Wärtsilä) Wärtsilä WST-E embedded electric steerable thruster (Credit: Wärtsilä) One of three newly introduced Wärtsilä WST-R retractable thrusters – the WST-14R (Credit: Wärtsilä) The ...