But to travel from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to farther orbits—or even the Moon—requires a different kind of ion thruster capable ...

These vehicles rely on propulsion systems that generate immense thrust to overcome Earth's gravitational pull and achieve the necessary velocity for orbital insertion or interplanetary travel.

A new article in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society examines ... Earth's escape velocity is 11.2 km/s (kilometers per second), which is more than 40,000 km/h. The escape velocity ...