Os mecanismos em si eram em grande parte Ion Drives .
Ion engines were fueled by power cells, liquid chemical reactants, onboard generators, or virtually any other device capable of providing sufficient power.
The engine utilized internal fusion reactions to produce a stream of highly-charged particles that were forced through the engine's exhaust port at nearly the speed of light. Ion engines were sometimes called ion rockets.
Ion engines were known to emit mildly radioactive byproducts, requiring onboard technicians to wear protective gear.
Em termos de combustível, a maior parte era Hypermatter para navios de capital / estações de combate.
Isso incluiu a Estrela da Morte:
No entanto, o Hypermatter não era o único combustível: os motores iônicos dos caças TIE "utilizavam reações internas de fusão para produzir um fluxo de partículas altamente carregadas que eram forçadas através da porta de escape do motor quase à velocidade da luz". um hook="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ion_drive"> Wookiepedia ). O combustível para eles era "gás radioativo de alta pressão" (veja o tanque para isso em lista de componentes do sistema )A grant from Republic Sienar Systems was given to the Republic Ministry of Science allowing them to continue research into hypermatter for planetary power, deep space mining, ... Some of this research was later used to refine the plans for Sienar's Expeditionary Battle Planetoid, which evolved into the Death Star project.