Most powerful ion thruster
- Who
- X3 Hall thruster
- What
- 5.4 newton(s)
- Where
- Not Applicable
- When
- August 2017
Between July and August 2017, scientists at the NASA Glenn Research Center, Ohio, and the University of Michigan, performed tests of the X3 Hall thruster. It uses the Hall Effect to ionise xenon atoms that are then forced out of the back of the engine by a strong electric field, producing thrust. In the tests, the X3 operated at 102 kW of power producing 5.4 newtons of thrust.