Ion Thrusters

Plasma-powered powerhouses

How they work

Ion engines produce thrust by ejecting plasma. Sounds cool, right? Let's take a look at how they work.

Fuel

Xenon is the most common type of propellant, because it is:

1) Non-corrosive
2) Non-reactive

Ionization Chamber

In the ionization chamber, the propellant (zenon) is discharged, and blasted with electrons. When the electrons crash into the propellant atoms, the atoms turn into positive ions.

>>>Acceleration>>>

At the back of the chamber, there are two grids: one charged positively and one charged negatively. These accelerate the ions by means of attraction. The ions are blasted out of the engine, producing thrust.

Final Processing

Remember, the ions blasted out of the chamber are still positively charged, which means they will be attracted back to the grids. So, an electrode behind the engine turns the ions neutral. Brilliant!

Fun Fact: Ion thrusters actually have a weakness: they aren't fast enough to launch spacecrafts out of Earth's orbit. As a result, they have to be carried by rockets until they leave Earth's orbit! However, they have a longer range than traditional rockets, which makes them very useful in for interstellar travel!

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