What advantage do Ion Thrusters offer over chemical systems for long-duration missions?
Answer
They achieve extremely high specific impulse, consuming propellant very slowly over years
Electric propulsion systems accelerate propellant to much higher speeds, resulting in much higher efficiency ($ ext{I}_{ ext{sp}}$), allowing small propellant tanks to achieve large total velocity changes over long periods.
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Satellites That Scoop Air And Use It As Propellant - YouTube
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