Researched
Ion Thruster
NASA's Deep Space 1 (1998) is the first probe to use an ion engine as main propulsion, with exhaust speeds several times that of chemical rockets.
Open in the interactive tree →Ion thrusters push out charged xenon gas at very high speed, so they use little fuel but give little thrust. Dawn (2007) and many satellites use electric propulsion today.
Prerequisites
Unlocks
- Satellite mega-constellations2019Starlink satellites use electric thrusters for orbit raising
- Beyond chemical rocketsopenIon drives are the first working alternative to chemical rockets