Ion drives are, by far, the most common and practical method of reaching Void velocity, crossing the Void and decelerating at the destination system. Unlike real-world ion drives which require long acceleration before useful velocities can be attained, ion drives in the Frontier are capable of massive thrust over extended periods of time, exceeded only by atomic engines. Ion engines are never used within an atmosphere due to the interaction of the engine's particle stream thrust and atmospheric particles surrounding the ship, which can easily damage the hull and provoke an explosion.