Spacecrafts That Use Ion Thrusters?

Ion thrusters are a type of electric propulsion system that uses ions (charged particles) to generate thrust. They are much more efficient than traditional chemical rockets, and they can be used to propel spacecraft over long distances.

Here are some of the spacecrafts that use ion thrusters:

1. Deep Space 1: Deep Space 1 was a NASA spacecraft that was launched in 1998. It was the first spacecraft to use ion propulsion as its primary propulsion system. Deep Space 1 flew by the asteroid Braille and the comet Borrelly, and it also made the first close-up observations of the comet Wild

Image credits: Nasa

1. Dawn: Dawn is a NASA spacecraft that was launched in 2007. It is the first spacecraft to orbit two objects in the asteroid belt: the protoplanets Vesta and Ceres. Dawn uses three ion thrusters to propel itself, and it is expected to continue operating until at least 2025.

Image credit: Nasa

1. Hayabusa: Hayabusa is a Japanese spacecraft that was launched in 2003. It was the first spacecraft to successfully land on an asteroid and return samples to Earth. Hayabusa used ion thrusters to slow down its descent to the asteroid Itokawa, and it also used them to propel itself back to Earth.

Image credit: Nasa

1. Hayabusa2: Hayabusa2 is a Japanese spacecraft that was launched in 2014. It is the successor to Hayabusa, and it is currently orbiting the asteroid Ryugu. Hayabusa2 is expected to land on Ryugu in 2020 and return samples to Earth in 2021.

Image credit: Wikipedia

1. BepiColombo: BepiColombo is a joint European-Japanese mission that was launched in 2018. It is en route to Mercury, and it is expected to arrive in 2025. BepiColombo uses six ion thrusters to propel itself, and it is the first mission to use ion thrusters to travel to Mercury.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Ion thrusters are still under development, but they have the potential to revolutionize space exploration. They are more efficient than traditional chemical rockets, and they can be used to propel spacecraft over long distances. This makes them ideal for missions to distant planets and stars.

In addition to the spacecraft mentioned above, there are many other spacecraft that use ion thrusters. Ion thrusters are becoming increasingly common, and they are expected to play an important role in future space exploration missions.

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