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No. This is a ion thruster, a class of thrusters which already exist and are used in various satellites. They carry a propellant (xenon), then use electricity t
by martythemaniak 9y ago
No. This is a ion thruster, a class of thrusters which already exist and are used in various satellites. They carry a propellant (xenon), then use electricity to accelerate and shoot the propellant out the back. This provides extremely efficient, but low amount of thrust (like a nudge).
This development gets rid of the need to carry propellant. They satellite will scoop it up from the atmosphere, saving weight and prolonging life.
- flukus 9y agoSo "air collecting" or "mass collecting" would be more accurate since it doesn't really breath like a typical air breathing engine?
- andrewwharton 9y agoIt doesn't accelerate the air like a typical air breathing engine, but it certainly ingests the air like one. It's basically a ramjet but uses electric charge to accelerate the exhaust gas rather than hydrocarbons.