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10:43 An iodine-fuelled engine for satellites

In space, many satellites use xenon-fuelled ‘electric propulsion systems’ to maneuver. However, xenon is rare and requires high-pressure storage systems, so researchers have been working to develop alternative fuels. This week, a team publish details of the first in-space test of an iodine-powered electric propulsion system, which they say has many advantages over xenon systems.

ThrustMe has successfully tested an iodine-fuelled electric propulsion system in space and results of this historic demonstration have been published today in one of the leading scientific journals, Nature. These results confirm for the first time that iodine is not only a viable alternative to conventional xenon propellant, but that it also enables extreme propulsion system miniaturization. This provides small satellites with new maneuvering and space exploration potential, and critical new collision avoidance and deorbiting capabilities that will prove vital for the long-term sustainability of the space industry.

NRC

Satellieten in een baan om de aarde moeten vaak koerscorrecties uitvoeren. Daarvoor is nu nog een duur gas nodig.

Cosmos

Could an iodine-fuelled electric propulsion system be the future of space travel?

Ground-based tests have shown that iodine could be a good alternative. Now, as reported in a paper in Nature, researchers have made a successful test of iodine in orbit for the first time.

L'Usine Nouvelle

Pendant plus de six mois, le moteur à iode de la deeptech française Thrustme a permis de modifier l’orbite d’un petit satellite. Une première, présentée dans la revue Nature le 17 novembre, qui pourrait permettre à l’industrie spatiale de se passer du rare et coûteux xénon.

Nature - News and Views

Solid iodine transforms directly into gas when heated — a property that has been used to create cheap, compact engines that could make large networks of small satellites commercially viable.