A machine known as a jet engine is a crucial component of an aircraft, made of metal and often referred to as an auto part. Its engineering is essential for powering the wheels of the aircraft.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test, a joint project by NASA and ESA, aims to assess our ability to alter the course of an asteroid by visiting the Didymos asteroid system. NASA’s advanced ion engine, known as NEXT-C and powered by xenon propellant, will enable the mission to take place.

Didymos, a 2,650-foot-wide asteroid, has a unique cosmic companion, a 535-foot-wide satellite called Didymoon (10). While these two celestial objects are not on a collision course with Earth, they do present an intriguing chance for a rehearsal of an apocalyptic event.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) by NASA and ESA has been planned to travel towards Didymos in order to alter the course of Didymoon. In addition to the six picture-taking cubesats from the Italian Space Agency, the mission will also include the sending of another spacecraft called Hera by ESA to determine if we have the capability to change the path of asteroids heading towards Earth.

In order for the DART mission to be successful, it will require significant power to reach the Didymos system, located 6.8 million miles away from Earth. NASA’s NEXT-C (Evolutionary Xenon Thruster-Commercial) ion engine is equipped to provide the necessary propulsion for the journey.

The NEXT-C system consists of a thruster and a power-processing unit, and was developed collaboratively by NASA’s Glenn Research Center and Aerojet Rocketdyne in Redmond, Washington.

Ion drives such as the ones in NEXT-C and NASA’s NSTAR, which were used in DAWN and Deep Space 1, have a different design than regular rockets. They rely on solar energy to propel a propellant. Initially, solar panels capture sunlight and transform it into electricity. This electricity charges the first grid positively. The propellant, which is xenon ions in the case of NEXT-C, is then sent to the second grid which has a negative charge. This process ultimately results in the production of thrust from the engines.

According to a report by Universe Today, NEXT-C is currently undergoing multiple environmental and performance tests. The thruster, capable of producing 6.9 kW of thrust power and 236 mN thrust, has successfully completed essential spaceflight tests such as thermal vacuum and vibration.