Satellites orbiting the Earth today are fitted with thrusters to help them achieve the desired orbit and stay there. Today, the thrusters aboard the satellites rely on electricity used to ionize and ...

A new electric thruster that blasts out iodine has now been successfully tested in orbit, a milestone that could help lead to significantly tinier, simpler, cheaper and higher-performance engines for ...

Monisha Ravisetti was a science writer at CNET. She covered climate change, space rockets, mathematical puzzles, dinosaur bones, black holes, supernovas, and sometimes, the drama of philosophical ...