Low Earth orbit applications of electric propulsion

Electric propulsion systems utilise the propellant carried on a spacecraft extremely efficiently, by virtue of the high exhaust velocities which they produce using electrostatic or electromagnetic acceleration processes. The authors examine the potential benefits of using such propulsion systems on spacecraft in low Earth orbit, including the various elements of the NASA/International Space Station and independent remote sensing satellites. It is shown that considerable mass savings can be achieved by employing electric propulsion for tasks requiring large velocity increments, and that the low thrust available is of significant advantage to microgravity and remote sensing platforms