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Exploration

Dawn Ion Propulsion Milestone

By Marc Boucher
NASA Watch
June 5, 2013
Filed under

Smooth Sailing: Dawn Spacecraft Passes Endurance Test, NASA
The stalwart adventurer has recently completed its longest uninterrupted ion thrust period yet. As part of the campaign to conserve precious hydrazine propellant, Dawn now suspends thrusting once every four weeks to point its main antenna to Earth. (In contrast, spacecraft with conventional chemical propulsion spend the vast majority of time coasting.)

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