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Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/11/new-iodine-based-plasma-thruster-tested-in-orbit/ [arstechnica.com]

Most people are probably familiar with iodine through its role as a disinfectant. But if you stayed awake through high school chemistry, then you may have seen a demonstration where powdered iodine was heated. Because its melting and boiling points are very close together at atmospheric pressures, iodine will readily form a purple gas when heated. At lower pressures, it'll go directly from solid to gas, a process called sublimation.

That, as it turns out, could make it the perfect fuel for a form of highly efficient spacecraft propulsion hardware called ion thrusters. While it has been considered a promising candidate for a while, a commercial company called ThrustMe is now reporting that it has demonstrated an iodine-powered ion thruster in space for the first time.

Nature, 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04015-y [doi.org]

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