Low-cost accessible space technologies are necessary to fulfil the promise of the \u201cNew Space\u201d revolution and open the door to space exploration to everyone.
In order to lower the cost of spacecraft propulsion, Dulce M\xe1ximo from the Tecnol\xf3gico de Monterrey in M\xe9xico and Luis Fernando Vel\xe1squez-Garc\xeda from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report on the first 3D-printed electrospray thrusters to be used in nanosatellites. Not only are these cheaper and quicker to manufacture, but they also use propellant fuel very efficiently. This important development is a significant contribution to the democratisation of nanosatellite propulsion technology.
Read more about their work in Research Outreach.
Read the original article at:\xa0 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2020.101719