NASA's record-breaking ion drive now closer to powering next-gen spacecraft

Published December 31, 2012 7:12pm

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NAS) ion drive may have taken a step closer toward powering next-generation spacecraft traveling to otherplanets and solar systems.

NASA has announced its NASA Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) ion drive has operated continually for over 43,000 hours, the equivalent of five years, ExtremeTecn reported.

"Ion thrusters are pegged as one of the best ways to power long-term deep-space missions to other planets and solar systems. With a proven life time of at least five years, NEXT engines just made a very big step towards powering NASA’s next-gen spacecraft," ExtremeTech said.

While ion thrusters are of little use on earth compared to present-day chemical thrusters, they are 10 to 12 times more energy-efficient.

On earth, ion thrusters can deliver a mere 0.5 newtons of thrust, which ExtremeTech said is the equivalent to the force of a few coins pushing down on your hand.

By comparison, chemical thrusters are capable of hundreds or thousands of newtons.

"The flip side of this, though — and the reason ion thrusters are so interesting — is that they have a fuel efficiency that’s 10 to 12 times greater than chemical thrusters. Obviously, for long trips through space, fuel efficiency is very important," it said.

ExtremeTech also noted ion thrusters only work because of the near-vacuum of space, and would be useless if there was any friction like here on Earth.

"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)," it added.

A separate article on Mashable said the 43,000-hour stress test could extend future space travel to the outer reaches of the solar system.

It said the 7-kw ion thruster can burn 10 to 12 times longer than the conventional chemical thrusters used today.

"Though not practical for manned spaceflight, the system could power exploratory rockets that reach outer planets and their moons," it said. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: nasa, space, spaceexploration, iondrive