The_space_travveler Posted 12 hours ago Share Posted 12 hours ago I'm doing a mission with a huge delta V requirement, and I wondered, which would be better, a nuclear engine, or an ion engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GluttonyReaper Posted 6 hours ago Share Posted 6 hours ago Short answer - the ion engine. It's got a higher ISP and it's lighter, so if you only care about dV, that's what you should go with. However, there are some caveats. First, the ion engine has a tibblingly low thrust, so it's (almost) useless for landers... and can result in some painfully long transfer burns. Second, it needs a supply of electric charge - if you're not going too far away from the Sun, you can use solar panels, but regardless you're going to have to carry some extra weight. This can be somewhat mitigated by throttling down, but then you end up with an even lower thrust. Thirdly, don't necessarily rule out chemical engines straight away - if your payload is small, a tiny engine and a big tank can go a long way, especially with the benefit of staging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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