Definition of «ion propulsion»

"Ion propulsion" is a method of propelling spacecraft or satellites using ions, which are electrically charged particles. It works by shooting out these charged particles at a high speed to generate thrust, pushing the spacecraft forward. This technology allows spacecraft to travel faster and more efficiently in space.

Sentences with «ion propulsion»

A short while later, the Europa mission came back to life, when it was linked with an experimental ion propulsion system powered by a nuclear fission reactor, the pet idea of Sean O'Keefe, then NASA's administrator. (discovermagazine.com)
«One of the features of ion propulsion is that it essentially allows you to fly on a smaller launch vehicle, at lower cost, to destinations that would require a larger vehicle with chemical propulsion,» says Benson. (discovermagazine.com)
In two workshops, Dawn engineering using ion propulsion was highlihgted piloting a kinesthetic model of coding the spacecraft's trajectory to its destinations. (smdepo.org)
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