specific impulse
noun
: the thrust produced per unit rate of consumption of the propellant that is usually expressed in pounds of thrust per pound of propellant used per second and that is a measure of the efficiency of a rocket engine
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Ideally, the engine should be able to produce high specific impulse while also satisfying the high thrust and low engine mass requirements.
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Dan Kotlyar, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2024
And this is where SEP shines: the specific impulse of these Hall effect thrusters is 3000 seconds.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2015
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Dan Kotlyar, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2024
And this is where SEP shines: the specific impulse of these Hall effect thrusters is 3000 seconds.
—IEEE Spectrum, 30 Mar. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Specific impulse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/specific%20impulse. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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