Deep Space 1, while being the first
space probe to use
ion propulsion as its primary drive, is not the first use of that
technology in space. At the time of
DS1's launch, there were 17 orbital
communication satellites (11 belonging to the
United States, 6 to
Russia) that use
ion propulsion to help maintain or correct their orbits.
DS1 also set a record for most accumulated engine usage of a space vehicle on
August 17, 2000. At that point its
engines had been running for 200 days, and are expected to last over 500 days before the end of its
mission.