Astronomy Cast - Ep. 807: Mission Tech Series: Ion Drives

Astronomy Cast Ep. 807: Mission Tech Series: Ion Drives Hosted by: Fraser Cain (@frasercain) and Dr. Pamela L. Gay (@CosmoQuest) Streamed live on Oct 27, 2026. The majority of rockets use a chemical propulsion system, but there are other ideas, fancy ideas that sound like they came from science fiction. But they're real and they work! Today we'll talk about ion engines, used by tie fighters everywhere!