Nature Asia 11/18/2021
The performance of spacecraft that use electric propulsion systems may be enhanced by using iodine, rather than the more-expensive and difficult-to-store xenon, suggests a Nature paper. The findings demonstrate the advantages of using iodine as an alternative propellant within the space industry.
Electric propulsion uses electric power to create thrust from a propellant. Currently, xenon is the propellant of choice, but it is rare, requires pressurized storage and commercial production is expensive. For the long-term sustainability of the space industry, finding a replacement propellant is important. A possible alternative could be iodine, which is cheaper, more abundant and can be stored as a solid. Iodine has been shown to achieve higher efficiency than xenon in ground-based tests, but full in-orbit operation of a spacecraft entirely propelled by an iodine electric propulsion system has not yet been reported.
Dmytro Rafalskyi and colleagues report the successful in-orbit operation of a small satellite with a propulsion system based on iodine. The propulsion system was operated in space to guide a 20-kg CubeSat satellite, launched on 6 November 2020, with manoeuvres confirmed using satellite tracking data. Iodine is shown not only to be a viable propellant, but also to achieve higher ionization efficiency compared to xenon.
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http://www.natureasia.com/en/research/highlight/13880
