Electrospray Propulsion

Author: Tianjiang Shuo

Website: https://cislunarspace.cn

Definition

A micro-propulsion technology that uses strong electric fields to extract and accelerate charged droplets or ion beams from a liquid propellant. With specific impulse around 800 s and thrust in the sub-millinewton range, it is well suited for mass- and power-constrained CubeSats. Research shows that 0.7 mN of electrospray thrust is sufficient for constellation deployment missions in halo orbits.

Application Value

Electrospray propulsion is a key technology for CubeSats and micro-nanosatellites to achieve high-performance orbital control. Compared to traditional chemical propellants, electrospray propulsion offers an order of magnitude higher specific impulse, producing greater velocity increment with the same propellant reserves. Although thrust is extremely small, it is highly practical for micro-nanosatellite orbital adjustment, attitude control, and constellation deployment. Research indicates that merely 0.7 mN of thrust is sufficient to maintain constellation formation or complete post-deployment orbital transfer in Earth-Moon halo orbits. This makes electrospray propulsion an important候选 propulsion方案 for future cislunar space small satellite missions, particularly suited for navigation satellite formation missions requiring long-term slow orbital correction.

References

  • Chen et al., 2019
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Contributors: ouyangjiahong, Ou Yang Jiahong