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Question by Infinity: What’s the difference between ion propulsion, and plasma propulsion?
Best answer:
Answer by Urwumpe
Practically nothing. they are just different popular names for the same range of technologies: Electrostatic propulsion and electromagnetic propulsion.
It is different to for example electric propulsion, which includes electrostatic, electromagnetic and electro-resistance propulsion.
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One Response
Ion thrusters use either electrostatic or electromagnetic forces to accelerate ions, producing very little thrust but high specific impulse. Magnetoplasma rockets use the electrical properties of ionized plasma to contain it within a magnetic field and then heat it to many thousands of degrees and accelerate it out a choke-point in the magnetic restriction. Both produce low thrust, but the magnetoplasma rocket can be varied by the choke, trading higher thrust for higher Isp and vice versa. This would make it better in many cases since the efficiency of a rocket’s thrust often depends on where it is. In low orbits a higher thrust is better in some maneuvers because of the energy imparted by the gravitational field. And in high orbits, away from a gravitation field, higher Isp is usually best. However, we’ve not yet been able to put a magnetoplasma rocket into space because ion thrusters weigh significantly less.