In order to promote exchanges and interactions among various subdivisions of commercial aerospace, NiHaoSpace has launched an expert column. Invite industry leaders such as founders, technical leaders, and senior experts from each segment to write articles and share topics such as industry progress, technology paths, and market prospects. The author of this issue is Wang Hongxia, founder of Aotian Technology, sharing with you: “Intelligent Propulsion: Building a Sustainable Space Economy on an Increasingly Prosperous Orbit”.
We are in a new phase of commercial space development defined by megaconstellations, new rocket technologies and on-orbit servicing. According to predictions from organizations such as the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) and Morgan Stanley, the scale of the global space economy is expected to exceed one trillion US dollars in 2040.
01
The technological revolution of electric propulsion
The rapid development of the aerospace industry is based on the improvement of the core capabilities of spacecraft. Among them, the electric propulsion system, as the “heart” of the spacecraft, is undergoing a profound technological revolution from “high energy” to “high efficiency” to “high intelligence”. At the crest of this revolutionary wave, Electric Propulsion (EP) technology is becoming a key variable in determining the future commercial aerospace landscape. Different from chemical propulsion, the electric propulsion system accelerates the working medium through an electric field or magnetic field, and achieves fuel efficiency (high specific impulse) several times that of the former with a small but lasting thrust. This feature is in line with the core demands of modern commercial satellite constellations for “low-cost, long-life, and refined” operations. Less fuel means lower launch quality and cost, and longer on-orbit life directly increases the return on investment of satellite assets. Because of this, electric propulsion is no longer an “option” but a “necessity” in the era of mega-constellations. From SpaceX’s “Starlink” satellites using kryptonite Hall electric propulsion systems for large-scale deployment and orbit maintenance, to OneWeb, Amazon’s “Kuiper Project”, and even our own constellation systems, all use electric propulsion as the standard configuration of their constellations. An era of space economy driven by electric propulsion has arrived. However, as we stand on the threshold of this trillion-dollar space economy, a fundamental, physical constraint is becoming increasingly prominent: the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on which we depend is becoming more crowded and dangerous than ever. This is not only an environmental issue, but also a core strategic issue related to the survival and development of the entire commercial aerospace industry.
02
Low Earth Orbit Crowding and Risks
Low Earth orbit is a limited, non-renewable strategic resource. As of early 2025, according to public data from the U.S. Space Surveillance Network and the European Space Agency (ESA) Space Debris Office, there are more than 36,500 trackable objects larger than 10 centimeters in Earth orbit, while the number of lethal debris with sizes between 1 and 10 centimeters is estimated to exceed 1 million, and the number of tiny debris (1 millimeter to 1 centimeter) may be as high as 130 million. These objects fly at an average speed of 7.8 kilometers per second, and any collision may cause a chain reaction. NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler first proposed the “Kessler effect” in a 1978 paper titled “Collision Frequency of Artificial Satellites: The Creation of a Debris Belt.” The core idea of this theory is: when the density of man-made objects in low-Earth orbit (such as satellites, rocket debris, etc.) reaches a certain critical point, the debris produced by one collision will trigger more and more frequent collisions, forming a series of chain reactions, eventually causing the entire orbital area to be covered by a dense cloud of debris, making it unsafe to use and even inaccessible for hundreds of years. In 2009, the U.S.’s Iridium 33 communications satellite working in space collided with Russia’s scrapped Kosmos-2251 military satellite at an altitude of about 790 kilometers above Siberia. The collision produced more than 2,300 trackable pieces of debris and further degraded the orbital environment. This event is considered a small “live preview” of Kessler Syndrome, and it proves that the theoretical space collision can indeed happen. Nowadays, global commercial space missions and constellation deployments are growing exponentially, and the risk of the Kessler effect is increasing significantly. Take the United States’ SpaceX as an example. As of October 2025, the “Starlink” program has deployed more than 9,800 satellites and plans to eventually reach 42,000 satellites. The UK’s OneWeb (now Eutelsat OneWeb) and Amazon’s Project Kuiper also plan mega-constellations of thousands of satellites. my country’s satellite Internet project has also entered the accelerated implementation stage. While this kind of deployment density creates huge connection value, it also greatly increases the probability of on-orbit collisions. The U.S. Starlink satellites approached the Chinese space station twice, forcing our space station to maneuver to avoid collisions. The first emergency collision avoidance: The Starlink-1095 satellite has been operating stably in an orbit with an average altitude of approximately 555 kilometers since April 19, 2020. From May 16 to June 24, 2021, the satellite continued to maneuver down its orbit to an average orbital altitude of 382 kilometers, and then maintained its operation at this orbital altitude. On July 1, the satellite had a close encounter with the Chinese space station. For safety reasons, the Chinese Space Station took the initiative to avoid collision on the evening of July 1 to avoid the risk of collision between the two targets. The second emergency collision avoidance: On October 21, 2021, the Starlink-2305 satellite had a close approach to the Chinese space station. Since the satellite is in a continuous orbital maneuvering state, the maneuvering strategy is unknown and the orbital error cannot be assessed, and there is a risk of collision with the space station. This is not an isolated case, but an increasingly normal operational risk. In the future, there will be more and more such collision avoidance actions. An intelligent electric propulsion system will be an inevitable configuration and necessary technical reserve.
03
Promote technological change
In this context, the role of spacecraft propulsion technology is undergoing a fundamental change – from focusing solely on the carrying efficiency of “sending satellites up” to paying more attention to the refined operation and control capabilities of “living well, living long, and retreating cleanly” in orbit. Due to its high thrust characteristics, chemical propulsion is still indispensable in the rapid orbit change and orbit entry stages. However, for commercial constellations to have an on-orbit life of 10-15 years, the fuel efficiency advantage brought by the electric propulsion system with its high specific impulse (Isp) is becoming an irreversible trend. The specific impulse of electric propulsion is usually 5 to 10 times that of chemical propulsion, which means that the required mass of propellant is significantly reduced while providing the same total impulse (ΔV). This translates directly into lower launch costs, larger payloads, and longer on-orbit service life. Traditional aerospace companies such as Maxar Technologies (now split and renamed Vantor and Lanteris) and Northrop Grumman in the United States have widely used electric propulsion systems (such as Hall electric propulsion systems) on their geostationary orbit (GEO) communication satellites for position maintenance and orbit improvement, successfully extending the service life of the satellites by more than 50%. SpaceX’s “Starlink” satellites all use krypton-particle Hall electric propulsion systems for orbit maintenance and final deorbiting. This is the largest application verification of electric propulsion technology in the LEO mega-constellation. The European Space Agency (ESA) has been a staunch promoter of electric propulsion technology. Its “Copernicus” (Copernicus) “Sentinel” series of earth observation satellites extensively use electric propulsion systems. It is worth mentioning that the PPS series Hall thrusters of the French aerospace company Safran have become one of the benchmark products in the global market and are selected by dozens of international commercial satellite platforms. Japan is famous for its unique microwave discharge ion thruster technology in the field of electric propulsion. Its deep space probes “Hayabusa” and “Hayabusa 2” relied on ion thrusters to complete interstellar voyages of hundreds of millions of kilometers, fully demonstrating the unparalleled long-term reliability and precise control capabilities of electric propulsion technology. In recent years, Japanese startups such as Synspective have also integrated electric propulsion systems on their small SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellites to enable flexible constellation deployment and formation flying. Our country has made great progress in the fields of Hall thrusters and ion thrusters. From the “Practice” series of technology test satellites to the new generation of communication satellite platforms, electric propulsion systems have become standard configuration. As a leading commercial aerospace company in the field of electric propulsion technology, Aotian Technology is committed to developing higher-performance, lower-cost, and longer-life electric propulsion systems to meet the urgent needs of national-level constellation projects and commercial remote sensing and Internet of Things constellations for independent controllability of core components.
04
Intelligent propulsion based on situational awareness
However, simply achieving “efficient” electric propulsion is not enough. The current congestion of orbit requires the propulsion system to have higher-dimensional capabilities—autonomous intelligence. Future electric propulsion must evolve into an intelligent propulsion system that can be deeply integrated with the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) system. The intelligent propulsion system converts external sensing data into autonomous decision-making capabilities, evaluates collision risks in real time through built-in algorithms, and autonomously plans optimal avoidance strategies when necessary. Relying on the high specific impulse and precise control of electric propulsion, efficient maneuvers can be achieved with only short-term micro-thrust, shortening obstacle avoidance response from hours to minutes, significantly improving the survivability of on-orbit spacecraft. The ultimate value of intelligent propulsion is that it will give full play to its synergy with the Space Situation Awareness (SSA) system and transform real-time orbital environment information into autonomous operation and control capabilities, thus becoming the core technology to achieve orbital environmental sustainability. First, it will prevent the creation of new debris from the source. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and various national space agencies stipulate that LEO spacecraft must deorbit within 25 years after the mission ends. However, according to statistics, less than 60% of spacecraft that have completed their missions in history have successfully deorbited. The intelligent propulsion system can ensure that each satellite can autonomously and accurately perform controlled deorbiting at the end of its life and then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up with extremely high reliability and extremely low fuel cost. Secondly, intelligent propulsion is the key to the success of Active Debris Removal (ADR) missions. Whether it is the “ELSA-d” capture and deorbit service that Japan’s Astroscale is commercializing, or the ClearSpace-1 mission funded by ESA, the core lies in how to efficiently and safely take the target debris out of orbit after capturing it. Electric propulsion systems with intelligent perception and precise control capabilities are the basis for such “space trailer” or “scavenger” satellites to complete their missions.
05
Conclusion: Building a new responsible commercial aerospace ecosystem
We are at a crossroads. One path is to continue a traditional, reactive model of orbital management, which could ultimately lead to the specter of “Kessler Syndrome” becoming a reality and bringing our collective space enterprise to a standstill. The other path is to actively embrace technological innovation and proactively manage and maintain the orbital environment on which we depend by developing autonomous operation and control technology represented by intelligent propulsion. This is a choice of technical route, as well as a choice of business ethics and long-term strategy. As a builder in the commercial aerospace field, Aotian Technology believes that the ultimate goal of technology is to create a sustainable future. We call on colleagues, partners, space agencies and policy makers around the world to work together on the following points: accelerating the development and application of intelligent propulsion technology as a standard configuration for future spacecraft; promoting the opening and sharing of commercial SSA data to establish a globally coordinated, high-precision Space Traffic Management (STM) system; formulating and implementing binding industry specifications that require all newly launched spacecraft to have reliable active deorbit capabilities. The vastness of space cannot be an excuse for us to ignore our responsibilities. On the contrary, the fragility and uniqueness of orbital resources require our generation of astronauts to act with the highest wisdom and foresight. Intelligent propulsion systems and modern space situation awareness systems are our answers to the future. It is the technical path for the future development of Aotian Technology, and it should be the cornerstone for us to jointly build a prosperous, safe, and sustainable space economy.
About the author
Wang Hongxia, founder and chairman of Aotian Technology, a national-level leading talent in science and technology, winner of the China Aerospace Foundation’s “Aerospace Contribution Award”, a leading entrepreneurial talent in Beijing’s “Haiying Talents”; a member of the Data Research Expert Committee of the “Joint Mechanism for Space Debris Monitoring and Early Warning Research and Application Services” of the National Space Administration’s Space Debris Monitoring and Application Center, a director of the Young Scientists Club of the China Electronics Society, and a director of the China Remote Sensing Applications Association. Executive director of the Beijing Vacuum Society; person in charge of national-level commercial aerospace special projects, person in charge of Beijing’s “disruptive” technology R&D and achievement transformation projects, person in charge of the Zhongguancun Science City’s key core technology “unveiling and commanding” project, and commander-in-chief of the space debris monitoring constellation project.
