Ion thrusters are an amazing spacecraft propulsion technology, providing very high efficiency with relatively little fuel. Yet getting one to produce more thrust than that required to lift a sheet of ...

Astra Space says it’s made a deal with Tukwila, Wash.-based LeoStella to provide multiple electric propulsion systems for LeoStella’s small satellites, with deliveries due to begin later this year.

When it comes to space exploration, large vehicles get most of the press -- but a team on KickStarter wants to build an engine that could power nanoscale satellites on their own journeys of ...

NASA is launching a spacecraft destined to slam into an asteroid as part of its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission tonight, from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Its purpose ...

The BepiColombo Mercury probe is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The probe is intended to study Mercury's magnetic field, ...

A spacecraft thruster that relies on iodine has been successfully tested in an orbiting satellite (Nature 2021, DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04015-y). The propulsion system is a form of ion drive, which ...

Delray Beach, FL, Oct. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The space propulsion market was valued at USD 13.36 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to USD 20.02 billion at a compound annual growth rate ...