Ion Propulsion System
Ion propulsion system is a type of spacecraft propulsion that uses beams of ions (charged particles) to generate thrust. It works by ionizing a neutral gas (usually xenon) and accelerating the resulting ions using an electric field. The ions are then expelled from the spacecraft at high speeds, creating thrust. Ion propulsion systems are highly efficient and can achieve much higher speeds than traditional chemical rockets, but they provide low thrust and require a long time to accelerate. They are commonly used in deep space missions, such as NASA's Dawn mission to the asteroid belt and the ion thrusters used on the ESA's BepiColombo mission to Mercury.
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