How Ion Engines Work in Under 60 Seconds

How ion engines work. Ion propulsion, meaning ion thrusters, are used in almost all satellites and space probes. One example is NASA's evolutionary xenon thruster, or short NEXT, which is used on an asteroid-slamming mission for its ridiculous efficiency, but how do ion engines work?

Ion propulsion engines might seem complicated, using unconventional methods compared to rocket engines like the Raptor, and even though those ion engines are considered to be electric propulsion engines, they are not 100% electric. So it's a little bit confusing.

You still need a gas to ionize, but to ionize said gas, you need electricity, and to then accelerate it, you also need electricity.

So even though gas is involved, the most important systems of an ion propulsion engine are electric, explaining why it's called an electric propulsion system.

But enough talking and lazy inclusion of keywords. Let me explain ion propulsion to you using a fancy ion engine animation that I did.

And trust me, even people like MrBeast and pewdiepie, who have no clue about rocket science, could understand how ion thrusters work after this short 60-second video!

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#shorts ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MUv28Yf_4g