NASA has tested the most powerful electric rocket motor in history, which will be installed in the Lunar Gateway orbital station

NASA has tested the most powerful electric rocket motor in history. It is designed for the orbital station Lunar Gateway.

Here's What We Know

Until recently, the most powerful electric rocket engine was a 4.5 kW propulsion system. For Lunar Gateway, a solution created by Aerojet Rocketdyne was chosen.

The new electric rocket motor has an output of 12 kW. It has been tested in a vacuum chamber. A second propulsion system will be handed over to the space agency for testing next year. It will be used to develop thrust.

Lunar Gateway will receive three electric rocket motors. To provide power, engineers will equip the station with solar panels with a capacity of 60 kW. The engines will be installed on the PPE (Power and Propulsion Element) power module, which will be sent into space in two years with the help of a Falcon Heavy rocket.

The Lunar Gateway orbital station will be used not only in missions related to landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA also plans to use it to assemble ships that will fly to Mars.

Source: Universe Today