Spacecraft rocket engines come in a variety of forms and use ... Getting that fuel into orbit is costly, too! Ion thrusters, in their various forms, offer an alternative solution – miniscule ...

With no moving parts, keeping an ion engine running constantly is no real problem. Keeping a massive rocket burning fuel for months is problematic. So the MIT flyer uses the same technology ...

Unlike most interplanetary probes, Dawn is not propelled by a chemical rocket engine, but by a solar-electric ion propulsion system, particularly suitable for long-distance flights. This innovative ...

Scientists have figured out how to create a new ion engine that uses 100 million times less fuel than a chemical rocket. Though the device is a lot less powerful, it could some day be a cost ...

By understanding the unique pre-cycling needs of aluminium-ion batteries, developers can work to design batteries that last longer and perform more reliably, bringing them closer to real-world ...

The space agency is developing a brand-new ion thruster engine to slowly propel an Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) spaceship to a boulder in space, capture it, and bring it near the moon where ...