CLEVELAND — A small robotic surveyor arrives to explore a near-Earth asteroid. Another robotic spacecraft is returning to Earth with a pristine comet surface sample. Meanwhile, a robotic explorer is ...

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft successfully completed the first test of its ion propulsion system over the weekend. The system is vital to the success of Dawn’s 8-year, 1.6 billion-kilometer (3-billion-mile) ...

Over the last several months, we’ve been enjoying a front-row seat as [Jay Bowles] of Plasma Channel has been developing and perfecting his design for a high voltage multi-stage ionic thruster. With ...

Spacecraft powered by electric propulsion could soon be better protected against their own exhaust, thanks to new ...

IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more. This is a cesium ion engine developed ...

Britain's QinetiQ has started commercially operating its ion propulsion chamber, with the first customer, French engine manufacturer Snecma, using the facility to test Hall Effect Thrusters. The ...

Rocket science got a bit more science-fiction-like as RocketStar announces it has successfully demonstrated a new ion drive that incorporates nuclear fusion. It's not the sort of fusion that powers ...

European Space Agency scientists have given the go-ahead to build an ion-powered engine for the agency’s spacecraft set to fly to Mercury in 2013. The ion-powered engine in the BepiColumbo spacecraft ...