NASA develops a solar-powered engine that puts people on Mars

NASA claims propulsion systems could be used to power robots on asteroids and a program to send people to Mars, NASA said in a statement.

The $ 67 million contract was signed with the company named Aerojet Rocketdyne. According to NASA, a solar propulsion electric (SEP) coaster will also be used to power robots on asteroids and a program to send people to Mars.

A test at the NASA Glenn Research Center.

Compared with chemical propulsion (a type of propulsion engine to get rid of the Earth's gravity), SEP has a lower thrust but more fuel economy and can provide thrust for long periods of time. than. For these reasons, SEPs perform better in vacuum environments, especially on long-range spacecraft.

The Dawn spacecraft is in operation.

NASA has been conducting SEP research since the 1950s and has used it for the Dawn spacecraft, which now operates around the planet Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres. NASA expects the new engine to double the propulsion capability of current propulsion systems and improve fuel efficiency by 10 times the current propulsion engine.