Like the TIE (twin ion engine) fighters of Star Wars, the robotic asteroid explorer Dawn is powered by ion engines. The star fighters accelerate much faster, but Dawn does have the slight advantage of being real. Learn more about Dawn.

The ion thruster is powered by large solar panels. The power ionizes the fuel (Xenon) and then accelerates it with an electric field between two grids. Electrons are injected into the beam after acceleration to maintain a neutral plasma. See details.