What are Thrusters?

Thrusters are propulsion (method to accelerate a spacecraft/satellite) devices used by a spacecraft to control its attitude. Thrusters can also be considered as small rockets which can be used to rotate a spacecraft.

Key functions of spacecraft thrusters are listed below:

• It can be used to transfer a spacecraft to a particular orbit
• It is used to maintain a spacecraft or satellite in a fixed orbit. Hence it can be used for orbit control or Orbit Station Keeping which requires a series of orbital maneuvers made with thruster burns to keep the spacecraft in the same orbit as its target
• It can be used to change the orientation of the spacecraft and hence can be used for attitude control
• Thrusters are also used to deorbit a satellite once a satellite has served for a fixed number of years