An ion thruster, ion drive, or ion engine is a form of electric propulsion used for spacecraft propulsion. An ion thruster creates a cloud of positive ions from a neutral gas by ionizing it to extract some electrons …

The primary parts of an ion propulsion system are the ion thruster, power processing unit (PPU), propellant management system (PMS), and digital control and interface unit (DCIU).

May 3, 2024 · Unlike chemical rockets that throw out gasses for propulsion, ion engines are powered by individual atoms, which makes them much more fuel efficient and allows satellites to operate for longer.

Aug 30, 2025 · Unlike traditional chemical rockets that burn propellants, ion propulsion systems accelerate electrically charged atoms (ions) to extremely high velocities. This creates a continuous, …

Nov 13, 2025 · Ion drives operate by removing electrons from neutral atoms—typically xenon or krypton—to produce positively charged ions, which are then accelerated by electric or magnetic …

Operating in the near vacuum of space, ion engines shoot out a propellant gas much faster than the jet of a chemical rocket. They deliver about ten times as much thrust per kilo of propellant used. The …

Mar 10, 2025 · Ion engines operate by accelerating charged particles (ions) through electric fields, generating a continuous and efficient thrust. Unlike chemical rockets, which provide short bursts of …

Discover the Turion Ion Engine 20 (TIE-20) by Desert Works Propulsion, a leader in advanced space propulsion. This high-efficiency, low-risk gridded ion thruster offers superior spacecraft …

Jan 4, 2024 · An ion engine is a type of electrostatic propulsion system that generates thrust by electrostatically accelerating plasma (a state of ionized gas). They are mainly used to provide …

Nov 4, 2023 · NASA's Dawn mission to Ceres and Vesta was the first science mission to use an ion propulsion system.