Spacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v.

There are many different methods.

Each method has drawbacks and advantages, and spacecraft propulsion is an active area of research.

Most spacecraft today are propelled by heating the reaction mass and allowing it to flow out the back of the vehicle.

This sort of engine is called a rocket engine.

All current spacecraft use chemical rocket (bipropellant or solid-fuel) for launch.

Artificial satellites must be launched into orbit, and once there they must be placed in their nominal orbit.

Once in the desired orbit, they often need some form of attitude control so that they are correctly pointed with respect to the Earth, the Sun, and possibly some astronomical object of interest..

For more information about the topic Spacecraft propulsion, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Hybrid rocket — A hybrid rocket propulsion system comprises propellants of two different states of matter, the most common configuration being a rocket engine ...  > read more

Multistage rocket — A multistage (or multi-stage) rocket is, like any rocket, propelled by the recoil pressure of the burning gases it emits as it burns fuel. What ...  > read more

Rocket engine — A rocket engine is a reaction engine that can be used for spacecraft propulsion as well as terrestrial uses, such as missiles. Rocket engines take ...  > read more

Ion thruster propulsion system — An ion thruster (or ion drive), one of several types of spacecraft propulsion, uses beams of ions - electrically charged atoms or molecules - for ...  > read more

Related Stories

Successful Venus Express Main Engine Test (February 21, 2006) — One hundred days after beginning its cruise to Venus, ESA's Venus Express spacecraft successfully tested its main engine for the first time in ...  > read more

Mars Climate Orbiter Space Probe Is Launched, Begins 9.5-Month-Long Journey To Red Planet (December 14, 1998) — After a one-day delay, NASA's Mars Climate Orbiter blasted off launch pad 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Station, FL, at 1:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time today and hurtled skyward on a 9-1/2- month ...  > read more

Last Ion Engine Thrust Puts SMART-1 On The Right Track For Its Moon Encounter (October 19, 2004) — From 10 to 14 October the ion engine of ESA’s SMART-1 carried out a continuous thrust manoeuvre in a last major push that will get the spacecraft to the Moon capture point on 13 ...  > read more

NASA's Marshall Center Tests New Breed Of Auxiliary Propulsion For Space Launch Initiative (April 11, 2002) — Engineers at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., have begun a series of engine tests on a new breed of space propulsion: a Reaction Control Engine developed for the Space Launch ...  > read more

Mars 2001 Odyssey Spacecraft Arrives For Launch Preparation (January 8, 2001) — The first major step toward NASA's return of a spacecraft to an orbit around Mars was achieved late Thursday night, Jan. 4, when the Mars Odyssey spacecraft arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Visit To An Asteroid