Plasma engine invented by Russian team

The SPD-140 plasma engine, to be used by space vehicles, is powered by xenon, a gas which is charged electrically, and should be ready for use already this year to propel the communication satellite Rouslan-MM.

The experiments have demonstrated that the plasma engines are more efficient than traditional fuel-powered ones, because the electric propulsion system weighs a few hundred kilogrammes, as opposed to the tonnes of liquid fuels, the result being that the rockets are more efficient and can carry more materials into space.

Another first for the Russian Space Industry!

Timofei Byelo PRAVDA.Ru