Spacecraft propulsion

Common card · No. 247672

Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to change the velocity of spacecraft or artificial satellites. In-space propulsion is used to maneuver the spacecraft after the launch vehicle has lifted it into outer space. Several methods of pragmatic spacecraft propulsion have been developed, each having its own advantages and drawbacks. Most satellites use simple reliable chemical thrusters such as monopropellant rockets or resistojet rockets to maintain orbital station-keeping, while a few use momentum wheels for attitude control. Russian and antecedent Soviet bloc satellites have used electric propulsion for decades, and newer Western geo-orbiting spacecraft are starting to use them for north–south station-keeping and orbit raising. Most interplanetary spacecraft use chemical rocket propulsion as well; a few have used electric propulsion methods such as ion thrusters and Hall-effect thrusters. Various propulsion technologies are actively being developed to pioneer space missions of wide vairety...

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