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Nature - News and Views

Solid iodine transforms directly into gas when heated — a property that has been used to create cheap, compact engines that could make large networks of small satellites commercially viable.

The Register

Scientists are trying to support the boom in miniaturised satellites with the development of a plasma engine using an iodine propellant — rather than the commonly used xenon — for the first time.

CNET

For a few years now, ion propulsion technology's sci-fi mechanics have raised the standard for flying spacecraft, replacing fiery rocket tails as the new in-thing. Ion propulsion can be about 10 times faster than normal fuel and can continuously run for prolonged periods of time, gaining a wicked amount of speed along the way.

BBC

В ближайшее десятилетие на орбиту Земли, как ожидается, будут запущены даже не тысячи, а десятки тысяч спутников, и поиск путей эффективного и экономичного управления ими становится приоритетом.

New Scientist

Many satellites use xenon as a propellant to help them change orbit or avoid collisions, but the gas is expensive – now we know iodine provides a cheaper alternative.

Inside Science

Right now, there is a unique spacecraft orbiting our planet. Its secret is the iodine propellant it uses to maneuver in space.

The spacecraft, launched in 2020, is a type of miniaturized satellite called a CubeSat, weighing about 45 pounds (20 kilograms), and it's the first satellite to use iodine to convert electrical energy to ion propulsion. The mission could pave the way for a new generation of smaller, cheaper spacecraft, according to a paper published today in the journal Nature.