This decades-old technology could slash journey times to Mars from eight months to 39 days.
Jun 03, 2021China's upcoming Tiangong space station's first module will be equipped with an ion propulsion system which will greatly improve energy efficiency and could slash journey times to Mars, theSuch thrusters have been used since the 1970s; however, the Tiangong's core module is set to become the first crewed spaceship propelled by ion drives.
When compared to chemical propulsion, which keeps the International Space Station in orbit, ion drives are much more efficient. According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the ISS's thrusters require four tons of rocket fuel to keep it afloat for a year, whereasToday's rocket technology would take a crew aboard a spaceship large enough to carry fuel and other supplies to Mars in more than eight months.
It sounds good on paper, but its implementation hasn't been the best due to the thrust created not being significant enough. Most ion thrusters deployed in space, mostly inHow does an ion thruster work?using electricity: It ionizes a neutral gas by removing some electrons from atoms, creating a cloud of positive ions.
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