Aerocapture systems to slow a ship down at its destination without the use of significant on-board propellant…

Electric thrusters that can run not just for minutes but for years, enabling a spacecraft to accelerate continuously through space, rather than merely coast…

Space sails powered by sunlight, capable of quickly pushing spacecraft to the very outskirts of the solar system - or enabling satellite to "hover" at a specific point in space…

These are just a few examples of the technologies now being investigated and developed by NASA's In-Space Propulsion Program.

Together with leading propulsion researchers from academia, industry and other government organizations, we seek to identify, fund and fly those technologies that promise to enable a new era of scientific discovery throughout our solar system.

ISP technologies now in development include:

AEROCAPTURE

ELECTRIC PROPULSION

ADVANCED CHEMICAL

SYSTEMS ANALYSIS