It is a virtual test bed of new, exotic technology, including the first-ever ion drive which will supply the main thrust for the voyage. Unlike chemical rockets which provide huge trusts for a short period of time by throwing lots of matter out the rocket at rather low speeds, ion rockets provide microscopic thrusts constantly by throwing currents of ions out the rocket at very high speeds. Of course you don't get something for nothing. These motors require voltages of thousands of volts which have to be supplied either by solar cells or some other means. The thrust of the engine is simply determined by the accelerating voltage and the mass of the ion being used.
Xenon has the lowest ionization potential and the highest mass of many elements.
Ion motors sound exotic, and they are, but they are not in the league of 'warp drive' or other stock propulsion systems used in science fiction stories. Return to the Ask the Space Scientist main page.