Microthrusters could propel small satellites
1,992 views · Published 21 September 2012 · 0:50 · Indexed 20 October 2026
Channel: News Direct · 2012 · Science & Technology
An MIT researcher, Paulo Lozano, has developed a "microthruster" that can help propel a shoebox-sized satellite in space. The microthruster is a flat, compact square covered with 500 microscopic tips that emit jets of ion beams when stimulated with electricity. It is significantly smaller and consumes less power than current propulsion systems. Microthrusters could be used to guide so-called CubeSats, three-pound "nanosatellites," into the atmosphere at the end of their missions, so that they could burn up on reentry rather than remain in orbit as space junk.
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