NASA in July selected two en-gineering teams that will attempt to demonstrate the feasibility of building electric spacecraft thrusters that can operate at power levels far exceeding those that have flown on any spacecraft to date. High-power electric thrusters have the potential to propel heavier payloads through space more quickly than current technology, according to an engineer involved in the project. But the feasibility of such systems is uncertain due to unanswered questions about wear and tear, contamination by ion exhaust and efficiency, according to NASA propulsion experts.
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