Aerospace engineers at MIT are testing a new concept for a hovering rover that levitates by harnessing the moon's natural charge.
Space Exploration
Dec 21, 2021
1
372
When it comes time for NASA's Psyche spacecraft to power itself through deep space, it'll be more brain than brawn that does the work. Once the stuff of science fiction, the efficient and quiet power of electric propulsion ...
Space Exploration
Sep 20, 2021
1
1057
A new type of rocket thruster that could take humankind to Mars and beyond has been proposed by a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
Plasma Physics
Jan 28, 2021
30
2999
Aero/Astro engineer Ken Hara is developing computer models to help make a little-known, but widely-used thruster engine more suitable for long-distance missions.
Space Exploration
Feb 21, 2020
112
734
In mid-December, twin discs will begin glowing blue on the underside of a minibus-sized spacecraft in deep space. At that moment Europe and Japan's BepiColombo mission will have just come a crucial step closer to Mercury.
Space Exploration
Nov 16, 2018
5
277
The Earth is currently surrounded by debris launched into space over several decades. This space junk can collide with satellites, causing damage and creating more debris. To preserve a secure space environment, the active ...
Plasma Physics
Sep 28, 2018
6
230
Any solid surface immersed within a plasma, including those in satellite engines and fusion reactors, is surrounded by a layer of electrical charge that determines the interaction between the surface and the plasma. Understanding ...
Plasma Physics
May 29, 2018
35
321
A team of German physicists with TU Dresden has independently tested the feasibility of the EmDrive and Mach Effect Thrusters. They have presented their findings at this year's Aeronautics and Astronautics Association of ...
In a world first, an ESA-led team has built and fired an electric thruster to ingest scarce air molecules from the top of the atmosphere for propellant, opening the way to satellites flying in very low orbits for years on ...
Space Exploration
Mar 6, 2018
35
812
ESA's next miniature satellite will be its first able to change orbit. Thanks to a compact thruster resembling a butane cigarette lighter, the cereal box-sized satellite will fly around its near-twin to test their radio communications.
Space Exploration
Dec 21, 2017
0
54
