A MOTOR that uses jets of ionised gas to keep spacecraft in their allotted place in the sky could revolutionise the economics of satellite TV and communications.
Today's satellites have a working life of around 10 years, after which they have to be replaced. The new ion propulsion system, which went into orbit on a European TV satellite last week, is designed to give it a useful life span of at least 25 years.
Launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, the Astra 2A satellite will bring Rupert Murdoch's 200-channel SkyDigital TV service to British viewers from 1 October. The new propulsion system means it could still be working well after 2020.
Every satellite needs some sort of motor to keep it accurately positioned in space. The motor has to be fired every day to compensate for the tugs of solar and lunar gravity, which continually threaten to pull the craft out ...
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