NEXT is a solar electric propulsion system where electricity from the spacecraft’s solar panels is used to power a a 7-kW class ion thruster. In this, particles of xenon gas are electrically ...

Proving yet again that Star Trek was scarily prescient, NASA has announced that its NEXT ion drive -- NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster -- has operated continually for over 43,000 hours (five years).

That’s why NASA developed the H71M sub-kilowatt Hall-effect thruster, a next-generation ion engine that can supply a velocity change. The propulsion system must operate using low power (sub ...

NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion engine has set a new world record by clocking up 43,000 hours of continuous operation at NASA’s Glenn Research Center’s Electric Propulsion ...

The vibration table tests shook a few nanotubes loose, but that reinforced the idea that having redundant systems would allow the ion thruster to keep on running. Walker and Ready next plan to ...

The agency has also been testing a more advanced ion engine, called NASA’s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT), which generates 2.5 times as much thrust as an NSTAR engine. Now, NEXT has broken a ...

The next generation of ion engines have a fuel efficiency 10 to 12 times greater than traditional chemical thrusters. A five-year test of NASA's latest ion drive for future spacecraft has set a ...

ION-X is set to demonstrate its technology in orbit for the first time early next year. Its thrusters will propel a satellite by Danish company Space Inventor as part of a larger ESA mission.

Placing multiple ion thrusters on a styrofoam board will increase the thrust and speed. Next, attach an ion thruster to a rubber balloon filled with helium. The rubber balloon started to move ...