NASA has tested the most powerful electric rocket engine in history, which will be installed in the Lunar Gateway orbital station
NASA has tested the most powerful electric rocket engine in history. It is intended for the Lunar Gateway orbital station.
Until recently, the most powerful electric rocket engine was a 4.5 kW propulsion system. Aerojet Rocketdyne’s solution was chosen for Lunar Gateway.
The new electric rocket engine has a power of 12 kW. It was tested in a vacuum chamber. The second power unit will be handed over to the space agency for testing next year. It will allow you to work on your thrust.
Lunar Gateway will receive three electric rocket engines. To provide power, engineers will equip the station with 60 kW solar panels. The engines will be installed on the PPE (Power and Propulsion Element) power module, which will be launched into space in two years using a Falcon Heavy rocket.
The Lunar Gateway orbital station will be used not only for missions related to the lunar landing. NASA also plans to use it to assemble ships that will fly to Mars.
