NASA to develop solar-powered electric rocket

We’ve seen them all go electric before, cars, bikes, buses and bicycles too. NASA has finally decided to work on an electric vehicle that will shoot through space now. The agency has currently set its mind on developing a prototype of a spacecraft that will be fitted with a solar array using an electric rocket to propel it forward. This one won’t show up in the skies anytime before 2014 though, and is designed to be an unmanned vehicle. The mission, labeled as the Solar Electric Propulsion mission, will have the spacecraft automatically maneuver and travel to a dead satellite and stop without running right through it. If all goes well, the spacecraft will then change course and make its way to an asteroid where it will use a bunch of tools in its study.

Solar power is finding more applications now than ever, with renewable energy finally being thought of as a fuel, efficient enough to power up space missions.
[Dvice]