ion engine

ion engine

n.

A rocket engine that develops thrust by expelling ions rather than gaseous combustion products. Also called ion rocket.

---

ion engine

n

(Astronautics) a type of rocket engine in which thrust is obtained by the electrostatic acceleration of charged positive ions Compare plasma engine

---

ion engine

A rocket engine that develops thrust by expelling ions fired by an electron gun, used in some spacecraft. Though ion engines create less thrust than chemical combustion engines, they are considerably more efficient and require very little propellant, resulting in much lighter weight and less need for high thrust. See also solar-electric propulsion.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

ion engine - 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 reaction engine, reaction-propulsion engine - a jet or rocket engine based on a form of aerodynamic propulsion in which the vehicle emits a high-speed stream