Enabling microsatellite maneuverability: A survey of microsatellite propulsion technologies

Microsatellites, commonly defined as having a mass of less than 100fcg, are being developed and launched with increasing frequency over the past decade. While this interest has led to rapid development of miniaturized electronics, communications and sensing components, microsatellites still lack significant maneuvering capability. Maneuverable microsatellites have the potential to allow for cost-effective satellite constellations, and disaggregated systems needing long-duration formation flying. This paper surveys and provides a performance comparison for some promising microsatellite propulsion technologies. Two recently developed propulsion technologies, green monopropel-lants and ion electrospray, show great promise for increasing the maneuverability of severely volume and power constrained microsatellites.