Electric Propulsion——The Revolution of Space Propulsion

<正>INTRODUCTION Propulsion technology is a necessary condition for space industry development.Therefore the propulsion system is fundamental for human space activities.Thanks to chemical propulsion,mankind’s space activities have scored remarkable achievements.Chemical propulsion is energy limited,because the chemical reactants have a fixed amount of energy per unit mass,which limits the specific impulse.The specific impulse of electric propulsion(EP)can be much larger than that available from a chemical propulsion