A novelty incredible is about to revolutionize the world of space exploration. The scientists they managed to create an innovation in propulsion which promises to push ours spacecraft far, far away, beyond low Earth orbit and straight towards the Moon and beyond.
A small but very powerful engine
This new technological toy, which was originally designed for the lunar space station from the NASAhas been changed to become a smaller engine but at the same time incredibly powerfulwhich could completely revolutionize the way we imagine and conduct space missions.
THE ion thrustersalready quite well known for the orbital maneuvers of satellites, are about to undergo a real one evolution. The brand new H71M enginebased on a principle called Hall effectwas designed to address high-speed maneuversgiving spacecraft the thrust needed to overcome Earth’s gravitational pull and undertake complex orbital maneuvers.
And it didn’t end here. These new ones thrusters they can use up to 30% of the initial mass of the vehicle as propellant, an enormity compared to traditional engines. This means one greater efficiency And autonomy. And to top it off, they can work for more than 15,000 hoursensuring an operational life that seems to never end.
But it’s not just a question of power. The solar electric technologies high-power, already used for NASA’s lunar missions, have been adapted for smaller missions but equally ambitious. Thanks to this new technology, i smaller spacecraft they can now travel independently from low Earth orbit to places such as the Moon or Mars, thus opening new horizons in human space exploration.
Looking towards future missions
And who do we have to thank for this revolution? One of the first to exploit this technology will be SpaceLogistics, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. Theirs vehicleequipped with NGHT-1X thrusters based on NASA technology, will act as a sort of “propulsive jet pack” for satellites, extending their operational life by at least six years.
If things go as hoped, this powerful but compact engine could pave the way for space missions what they seemed like until now unachievableallowing humanity to explore places previously thought out of reach and thus opening the doors to breathtaking discoveries in infinite space.
