NASA invests in advanced electric propulsion / NASA investe in propulsione elettrica avanzata. Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa / Reported by Dr. Joseph Cotellessa NASA has awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $67m contract to develop a new electric propulsion system for future space missions. La NASA ha assegnato a Aerojet Rocketdyne un contratto di $ 67m per sviluppare un nuovo sistema di propulsione elettrica per le future missioni spaziali. Solar electric propulsion (Credit: NASA) The Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) will be designed to extend NASA’s deep space exploration capabilities, and is expected to be a key component of the space agency’s Journey to Mars and Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM). Typically, these systems use large solar arrays to convert sunlight into electrical power. That energy is fed into highly efficient thrusters that provide gentle but non-stop thrust throughout the mission. According to NASA, the AEPS could potentially increase s