Latest Progress of Colloid Electric Propulsion Thruster Technology

The latest development of the emerging colloid electric propulsion thruster technology,with the advantages of high-specific impulse,high controllability precision and with potential applications in the attitude control and orbit transfer of microsatellites,was tentatively reviewed.The discussions with specific examples focused on:i)the operation principle,main features and possible structures of the colloid thruster;ii)the design optimization of the key components,including the capillary emitter,extraction pole and acceleration pole;and iii)the hot-spot research subjects,such as the fabrication techniques of major components,neutralization methods,significant increase of service life-time,evaluation and measurement of micro-thruster.The technical difficulties,existing problems,possible solutions and development trends of theoretical and technological studies were also briefly discussed in a thought provoking way.