An ion engine was a type of engine that created thrust by using electricity to accelerate ions. Ion engines could be used in faster-than-light propulsion systems aboard starships and shuttlecraft.
In 2259, a computer simulation aboard USS Enterprise suggested that the comet C/2260-Quentin striking the M-class planet Persephone III would leave no survivors. Spock proposed using four ion engines programmed to fire in sequence to account for the comet's rotation as a means to redirect it. (SNW: "Children of the Comet")
The Class F shuttlecraft was equipped with an ion engine that was powered by a matter-antimatter reaction. It was capable of matching speeds of a Constitution-class starship at warp. (TOS: "The Menagerie, Part I")
See also[]
External links[]
- Ion engine at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- Ion engine at Wikipedia