Spacecraft electric propulsion

Spacecraft electric propulsion (or just electric propulsion) is a type of <a href="/facts/Spacecraft_propulsion/KmpMGU9u">spacecraft propulsion</a> technique that uses electrostatic or electromagnetic fields to accelerate mass to high speed and thus generating <a href="/facts/Thrust/EM04CqV7">thrust</a> to modify the velocity of a <a href="/facts/Spacecraft/YQqQaUw0">spacecraft</a> in orbit. The propulsion system is controlled by <a href="/facts/Power_electronics/8BAQ3jDP">power electronics</a>.
Electric thrusters typically use much less <a href="/facts/Propellant/K88ymXRy">propellant</a> than chemical rockets because they have a higher exhaust speed (operate at a higher <a href="/facts/Specific_impulse/JKGgw2I4">specific impulse</a>) than chemical rockets. Due to limited electric power the thrust is much weaker compared to chemical rockets, but electric propulsion can provide thrust for a longer time.
Electric propulsion was first demonstrated in the 1960s and is now a mature and widely used technology on spacecraft. <a href="/facts/America/P0sCdLe5">American</a> and <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russian</a> satellites have used electric propulsion for decades. As of 2019, <a href="/facts/List_of_spacecraft_with_electric_propulsion/N2jaKPUa">over 500 spacecraft</a> operated throughout the <a href="/facts/Solar_System/QIcLSazQ">Solar System</a> use electric propulsion for <a href="/facts/Orbital_station-keeping/tNNee2Dm">station keeping</a>, orbit raising, or primary propulsion. In the future, the most advanced electric thrusters may be able to impart a <a href="/facts/Delta-v/eM4TaG9d">delta-v</a> of 100 km/s (62 mi/s), which is enough to take a spacecraft to the outer planets of the Solar System (with <a href="/facts/Nuclear_power/jzSyvxSn">nuclear power</a>), but is insufficient for <a href="/facts/Interstellar_travel/fIIYxUKD">interstellar travel</a>. An electric rocket with an external power source (transmissible through <a href="/facts/Laser/jk6PTvvT">laser</a> on the <a href="/facts/Solar_panels_on_spacecraft/js1dxpcr">photovoltaic panels</a>) has a theoretical possibility for <a href="/facts/Interstellar_travel/fIIYxUKD">interstellar flight</a>. However, electric propulsion is not suitable for launches from the Earth's surface, as it offers too little thrust.
On a journey to Mars, an electrically powered ship might be able to carry 70% of its initial mass to the destination, while a chemical rocket could carry only a few percent.

Spacecraft electric propulsion open-in-new

Spacecraft electric propulsion