Aspects of Electric Propulsion System Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The development of the area from its beginnings as the fantasy realm of a small number of visionaries to its transition into the concern of huge enterprises is particularly well-represented in the history of electric propulsion (EP), which now spans almost a century. Electric propulsion (EP) is a field of science and technology that covers a wide range of methods for reaching extremely high exhaust velocities in order to lessen the overall fuel burden and related launch mass of current and future space transportation systems. Electric propulsion is an innovative technology that utilizes electrical energy to propel spacecraft and satellites in outer space. Unlike traditional chemical propulsion systems that rely on combustion reactions, electric propulsion employs electric power to accelerate charged particles, usually ions, to generate thrust.