Solar Electric Propulsion Spacecraft
The solar electric propulsion project has developed solar arrays that are lighter stronger more compact and less expensive than those currently available.
Solar electric propulsion spacecraft. As of 2019 over 500 spacecraft operated throughout the solar system use electric propulsion for station keeping orbit raising or primary propulsion. Nasa s solar electric propulsion sep project is developing critical technologies to enable cost effective new trips to mars and to asteroids across the inner solar system and also to support a variety of commercial spaceflight activities. In the future the most advanced electric thrusters may be able to impart a delta v of 100 km s which is enough to take a spacecraft to the outer planets of the solar system with nuclear power but is insufficient for interstellar travel. Solar electric propulsion refers to the combination of solar cells and electric thrusters to propel a spacecraft through outer space.
Solar electric propulsion provides such high fuel economy that it reduces the amount of propellant required onboard vehicles for deep space missions by as much as 90 percent. Sep has a significantly higher specific impulse than normal chemical rockets thus requiring less propellant mass to be launched with a spacecraft and it has been evaluated for missions to mars.