April 2019
On-board propulsion set to drive the smallsat revolution
...-effect thruster technology widely used on larger more conventional satellites. ThrustMe is another company developing plasma-based propulsion systems for smallsats. Located just south of Paris, ThrustMe has been able to significantly shrink the size...
March 2015
Dawn of ion propulsion
... Mars without it. But as humankind engages in ever more ambitious missions in deep space, the tremendous capability of ion propulsion will be an essential ingredient. Full throttle By the end of its mission, having operated from its maximum throttle...
October 2016
Unlocking the potential of annular ion engines
...increase in both thrust density and thrust-to-power (F/P) ratio exceeding conventional ion thrusters and other electric propulsion (EP) technology options, thereby yielding the highest performance over a broad range in Isp. The AIE concept represents...
April 2020
Replacing hydrazine fuel with a greener alternative
... unscalable and unsustainable, Josh is helping bring Dawn’s highly reusable suborbital spaceplane and high-power, sustainable propulsion products to market in a bid to change this. Josh spends his spare time as a deep-sea exploration diver, living...
April 2020
Plasma Clipper - opening the age of sail, in space travel
... that use the power of photons – particles of light – to ‘sail’ through space. Although the promise of propellant-less propulsion offered by solar energy is an incredibly appealing prospect, most sail-type concepts also suffer from extremely low...
January 2017
New oceans beckon for solar sail technology
...target environments can be developed. The NEA Scout, scheduled to launch in 2018, will use its solar sail propulsion system to send the spacecraft to flyby asteroid 1991VG and conduct reconnaissance of it (Figure 2). Figure 2 - Artist concept drawing...
