World Records

A General Electric GE90-115B turbofan engine achieved steady state thrust of 568,927 N (127,900 lb) during final certification testing at Peebles, Ohio, USA, in December 2002. The engine was due to make its first flight on a Boeing 777 early in 2003. Because of their power, the 777 requires only two engines, resulting in better fuel efficiency, less pollution and lower noise levels. By comparison, the Boeing 747-400 (the largest passenger aircraft currently in service) has four engines each with around 275,789 N (62,000 lb) Continue reading →

NASA’s Deep Space 1 spacecraft, launched on 24 October 1998, was propelled to its target, Comet Borrelly, by a revolutionary type of engine. A beam of ionized xenon atoms were expelled from the engine at 35km/s (21 miles/s), providing a thrust of 0.09 Newtons (0.02 lbs), equivalent to the force exerted by a sheet of paper resting on the palm of a hand. The ion engine was ten times more efficient than a chemical rocket and was fired for 16,265 hours during the mission. NASA Continue reading →