NASA

            Throughout decades, NASA has been trying to improve their strategies to gaining access to places within our solar system and improve their technologies to enable its capabilities in future missions and support other spaceflight activities. One project that they are in the development is the Solar Electric Propulsion, or the (SEP). This new project is a cost-effective way to lengthen and improve the capabilities of space travel to enable NASAs ability to seek new missions beyond their current capability. This project will use on-board solar arrays which will act as a solar propellant as oppose to the current chemical propulsion system, in which the solar array will be able to use 10 times less propellant with the same effect, saving cost and resources in the initial stages of getting the craft to Earth’s orbit. This new propulsion system will use high-powered solar energy from sunlight and convert it into electrical energy to the thrusters that can provide a movement force of more than 65,000 mph. In addition to its space exploration capabilities, it can also be used in other missions such as the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission which can benefit from the low-cost, high efficiency technology.

In my opinion, this is very important for future missions in space. The cost-effective and equal power of this no propulsion system will enable us to do more missions since we have the resources and money. More missions means more insight and the possibility of space missions further and further since the sun’s rays can travel for distances, meaning the space craft will not run out of fuel to travel.