Editing Gridded ion thruster (section)

==History==
The ion engine was first demonstrated by German-born [[NASA]]  scientist [[Ernst Stuhlinger]],<ref>Ernst Stuhlinger, ''Ion Propulsion for Space Flight'' (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1964).</ref> and developed in practical form by [[Harold R. Kaufman]] at [[NASA Glenn Research Center|NASA Lewis]] (now Glenn) Research Center  from 1957 to the early 1960s.

The use of ion propulsion systems were first demonstrated in space by the NASA Lewis [[SERT-1|Space Electric Rocket Test (SERT)]] I and II.<ref name="Sovey">J. S. Sovey,  V. K. Rawlin, and M. J. Patterson, "Ion Propulsion Development Projects in U. S.: Space Electric Rocket Test 1 to Deep Space 1", ''Journal of Propulsion and Power, Vol. 17'', No. 3, May–June 2001, pp. 517–526.</ref>  These thrusters used mercury as the reaction mass.  The first was [[SERT-1]], launched July 20, 1964, which successfully proved that the technology operated as predicted in space.  The second test, SERT-II, launched on February 3, 1970,<ref>NASA Glenn, "[http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ion/past/70s/sert2.htm SPACE ELECTRIC ROCKET TEST II (SERT II)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927004353/http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ion/past/70s/sert2.htm |date=2011-09-27 }} (Accessed July 1, 2010)</ref><ref>[http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sert.htm SERT] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101025005136/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/sert.htm |date=2010-10-25 }} page at Astronautix (Accessed July 1, 2010)</ref> verified the operation of two mercury ion engines for thousands of running hours.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ion/past/70s/sert2.htm |title=Space Electric Rocket Test |access-date=2010-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927004353/http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/ion/past/70s/sert2.htm |archive-date=2011-09-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Despite the demonstration in the 1960s and 70s, though, they were rarely used before the late 1990s.''

NASA Glenn continued to develop electrostatic gridded ion thrusters through the 1980s, developing the [[NASA Solar Technology Application Readiness]] (NSTAR) engine, that was used successfully on the [[Deep Space 1]] probe, the first mission to fly an interplanetary trajectory using electric propulsion as the primary propulsion.  It later flew on the [[Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn]] asteroid mission.

[[Hughes Aircraft|Hughes Aircraft Company]] (now L-3 ETI) has developed the XIPS ([[Xenon Ion Propulsion System]]) for performing station keeping on its geosynchronous satellites (more than 100 engines flying).{{citation needed|date=November 2021}} 
NASA is currently{{clarify|date=November 2021}} working on a 20–50 [[Kilowatt|kW]] electrostatic ion thruster called [[HiPEP]] which will have higher efficiency, [[specific impulse]], and a longer lifetime than NSTAR.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In 2006, [[Aerojet]] completed testing of a prototype [[NEXT (ion thruster)|NEXT]] ion thruster.<ref name=NEXT>[http://www.aerojet.com/program/news/nr_090903_aerojet_successfully_completes_next_milestones.htm?program_ID=45 Aerojet Successfully Completes Manufacturing and System Integration Milestones for NASA's NEXT Ion Engine Development Program<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060530182031/http://www.aerojet.com/program/news/nr_090903_aerojet_successfully_completes_next_milestones.htm?program_ID=45 |date=May 30, 2006 }}</ref>

Beginning in the 1970s, radio-frequency ion thrusters were developed at Giessen University and [[ArianeGroup]]. [[RIT-10]] engines are flying on the [[European Retrievable Carrier|EURECA]] and [[ARTEMIS]]. Qinetiq (UK) has developed the T5 and T6 engines (Kaufman type), used on the [[GOCE]] mission (T5) and the [[BepiColombo]] mission (T6). From Japan, the μ10, using microwaves, flew on the [[Hayabusa]] mission.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In 2021, [[Double Asteroid Redirection Test|DART]] launched carrying a [[NEXT (ion thruster)|NEXT-C]] xenon ion thruster.

In 2021, [[ThrustMe]] reported satellite orbit changes using their [[NPT30 iodine|NPT30-I2]] iodine ion thruster.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/in-a-space-first-scientists-test-ion-thrusters-powered-by-iodine/|title = In a space first, scientists test ion thrusters powered by iodine}}</ref><ref name=ThrustMe1 >{{cite journal |last1=Rafalskyi |first1=Dmytro |last2=Martínez Martínez |first2=Javier |last3=Habl |first3=Lui |last4=Zorzoli Rossi |first4=Elena |last5=Proynov |first5=Plamen |last6=Boré |first6=Antoine |last7=Baret |first7=Thomas |last8=Poyet |first8=Antoine |last9=Lafleur |first9=Trevor |last10=Dudin |first10=Stanislav |last11=Aanesland |first11=Ane |date=17 November 2021 |title=In-orbit demonstration of an iodine electric propulsion system |journal=Nature |volume=599 |issue= 7885|pages=411–415 |doi=10.1038/s41586-021-04015-y |pmid=34789903 |pmc=8599014 |bibcode=2021Natur.599..411R |quote=''Both atomic and molecular iodine ions are accelerated by high-voltage grids to generate thrust, and a highly collimated beam can be produced with substantial iodine dissociation.''}}</ref><ref name=ThrustMe2 >{{cite web |url=https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2021/01/Iodine_thruster_used_to_change_the_orbit_of_a_small_satellite_for_the_first_time_ever#.YaUuCq-kYyQ.link |title=Iodine thruster used to change the orbit of a small satellite for the first time ever |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=22 January 2021 |website=www.esa.int |publisher=The European Space Agency |access-date=2021-11-29 |quote=''For the first time ever, a telecommunications satellite has used an iodine propellant to change its orbit around Earth. The small but potentially disruptive innovation could help to clear the skies of space junk, by enabling tiny satellites to self-destruct cheaply and easily at the end of their missions, by steering themselves into the atmosphere where they would burn up.''}}</ref>