How fast do ion thrusters accelerate?

Spacecraft powered by these thrusters can reach speeds up to 90,000 meters per second (over 200,000 mph). In comparison, the Space Shuttles can reach speeds around 18,000 mph. The trade-off for the high top speeds of ion thrusters is low thrust (or low acceleration).

Why ion thrusters are weak?

Ion thrust engines are practical only in the vacuum of space and cannot take vehicles through the atmosphere because ion engines do not work in the presence of ions outside the engine; additionally, the engine’s minuscule thrust cannot overcome any significant air resistance.

How fast is an ion drive?

200,000 miles per hour
The good news, though, is that the (eventual) max speed of a spacecraft propelled by an ion drive is in the region of 200,000 miles per hour (321,000 kph).

How do you increase speed in space?

If you want to speed up, you have to fire the thrusters at the front of your spacecraft. This drops you into a lower orbit and increases your speed. If you fire the thrusters at the back of your spacecraft you would raise your spacecraft to a higher orbit, and slow down.

Are ion thrusters powerful?

The trade-off with ion thrusters, however, is that they are very low thrust and therefore must operate for a long time to accelerate a spacecraft to high speeds, according to NASA. (In addition, ion thrusters aren’t powerful enough to overcome Earth’s gravitational pull, so they cannot be used to launch spacecraft.)

How does ion thrusters work?

An ion thruster ionizes propellant by adding or removing electrons to produce ions. Most thrusters ionize propellant by electron bombardment: a high-energy electron (negative charge) collides with a propellant atom (neutral charge), releasing electrons from the propellant atom and resulting in a positively charged ion.

Who makes ion thrusters?

Future Ion Propulsion NASA Glenn recently awarded a contract to Aerojet Rocketdyne to fabricate two NEXT flight systems (thrusters and power processors) for use on a future NASA science mission.