Spaceflight 🚀<p>In 📆 2023, <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/SpaceX" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SpaceX</span></a> launched the first of its <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/Starlink" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Starlink</span></a> V2 Mini satellites 🛰️. These next-generation spacecraft are equipped with <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/HallEffect" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HallEffect</span></a> thrusters, or <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/HETs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HETs</span></a>, that operate on <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/argon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>argon</span></a>, instead of the <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/krypton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>krypton</span></a> propellant on previous Starlinks <a href="https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/year-in-review/a-year-of-firsts-for-electric-propulsion" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/year</span><span class="invisible">-in-review/a-year-of-firsts-for-electric-propulsion</span></a></p><p>The essential working principle of the <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/HallThruster" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HallThruster</span></a> is that it uses an <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/electrostatic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>electrostatic</span></a> potential to accelerate <a href="https://spacey.space/tags/ions" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ions</span></a> up to high speeds <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-effect_thruster#Principle_of_operation" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-eff</span><span class="invisible">ect_thruster#Principle_of_operation</span></a></p><p><a href="https://spacey.space/tags/ElectricPropulsion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ElectricPropulsion</span></a></p>