Noun
a type of reaction-propulsion engine to propel rockets in space; a stream of positive ions is accelerated to a high velocity by an electric field
Source: WordNetIn deep space Deep Space 1 NASA developed the NSTAR ion engine for use in interplanetary science missions beginning in the late-1990s. Source: Internet
In 1996, the program's study team recommended a mission to explore the asteroid belt using a spacecraft with an ion engine as a high priority. Source: Internet
In an ion engine, electric power is used to create charged particles of the fuel, usually the gas xenon, and accelerate them to extremely high velocities. Source: Internet
It was designed to use nuclear fission for power, ion engine propulsion, and would have studied Ganymede in greater detail than previously. Source: Internet