Hall ion thrusters to fly on X-37B spaceplane

The US Air Force's most public secret, the X-37B unmanned spaceplane, is now a little less top secret. The Air Force has revealed that when the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) 4 mission lifts off from Cape Canaveral AFB on May 20, it will be carrying a Hall thruster as part of an experiment to improve the design for use on Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications spacecraft... Continue Reading Hall ion thrusters to fly on X-37B spaceplane

Section: Space

Tags: Boeing, ion engine, Spacecraft, US Air Force, X-37B

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from Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine http://ift.tt/1HX78oH