An intelligent control gas suction-type electric propulsion system applicable to multi-flow regimes: an ultra-low orbit rare gas is used as a working medium for attitude orbit control and resistance compensation propulsion, the gas is collected and inputted into an intelligent feedback pressurization system by means of a parabolic gas intake duct, intelligent feedback and pressurization are performed on the gas working medium by a molecular pump and a gas pump and the medium is stored in a working fluid storage tank so as to supply a hybrid thruster system that consists of seven sets of electric thrusters to generate thrust, which may achieve multiple thrust modes, and achieve the purpose of attitude orbit control and resistance compensation.

A magnetic pole structure for a Hall thruster is provided. The magnetic pole structure includes: multiple wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components, a magnetic bridge, a pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component, a top plate, and a bottom plate, where the multiple wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components are arranged on an outer edge of the Hall thruster, symmetrical about the pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component, and enclose a semi-open structure; the magnetic bridge is located between each of the wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components and the pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component; the bottom plate is attached to a bottom part of each of the wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components and a bottom part of the pagoda-shaped inner magnetic pole component; and the top plate is attached to an upper part of each of the wide-envelope outer magnetic pole components.

In an aspect of the invention there is provided a plasma thruster device comprising: an electrically insulating substrate, said substrate comprising one or more feed channels for feeding an electrically conductive liquid to a bridge structure; said substrate further provided with electrical terminals; said bridge structure configured to form, when provided with the electrically conductive liquid, an electrical conducting bridge; said bridge structure configured to form contact areas in electrical contact with said electrical terminals, said bridge structure thereby connecting the contact areas, said bridge structure arranged for forming a plasma of said electrically conductive liquid, when the electrically conductive liquid is ionized by a current peak flow circuit that contacts the contact areas via said electrical terminals.

A plasma engine includes a plasma source that generates ions from molecular gas species received at a gas input where at least some of the ions generated are atomic species ions. An ion extractor is configured to extract ions from the plasma source with an electric field. A housing comprising a recombination region receives ions extracted from the ion extractor. At least some of the atomic species ions recombine into molecular species in the housing, thereby releasing energy for thrust.

An electrically controlled interfacial force generation device includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a cell disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The cell includes a material that produces a mass in response to a bias voltage being applied across the first electrode and the second electrode. The device also includes a first wall at one end of the cell and extending between the first electrode and the second electrode. The device further includes an electrical power supply configured to provide a variable gradient voltage across the first electrode and the second electrode. A variable electric field gradient is produced and altered within the cell in response to the variable gradient voltage being altered. Altering the variable electric field gradient causes the mass to propagate across the cell and to impact the first wall transferring a force to the first wall.

A plasma engine includes a plasma source that generates ions from molecular gas species received at a gas input where at least some of the ions generated are atomic species ions. An ion extractor is configured to extract ions from the plasma source with an electric field. A housing comprising a recombination region receives ions extracted from the ion extractor. At least some of the atomic species ions recombine into molecular species in the housing, thereby releasing energy for thrust.

A propulsion system involving a boost feature comprising a stationary electrical conductor, the boost feature configured to couple with a combustion engine, the stationary electrical conductor disposed in a path of a moving high-velocity plasma of exhaust from the combustion engine, and the stationary electrical conductor electrically biased, whereby the moving high-velocity plasma is accelerated, and whereby propulsion is boosted.

A rocket configured to employ superheated water as a propellant, includes a photon reactor including a photon generator configured to generate UV light to superheat water.

An ion thruster is provided allowing a plasma discharge to be generated and confined in an external confinement space created by an external magnetic field B.

A control device includes an acquiring unit and a processing unit. The acquiring unit acquires a voltage course and a current course of a determinable number of periods of a frequency generator and transmits these to the processing unit. The processing unit determines a temporal offset t.sub.1 between a rising edge of the current course and a rising edge of the voltage course for each period of the determinable number of periods, and further determines if this temporal offset t.sub.1 is positive or negative. The processing unit determines a difference between the number of periods with positive temporal offset and the number of periods with negative temporal offset within the determinable number of periods, and generates and adapts a switching signal for a switch-on time of the voltage course if the number of periods with positive temporal offset differs from the number of periods with negative temporal offset.