Satellites in orbit use rocket propulsion to maintain their altitude. These engines require fuel to power their chemical or ion engines but when the fuel runs out, the orbit slowly erodes with the satellite re-entering the atmosphere. A new type of electrical propulsion has been developed that has no need for onboard fuel. Instead it syphons air particles out of the atmosphere and accelerates them to provide thrust. Much like an ion engine but this time, the fuel source is air making it ideal for low Earth orbits.

At the low altitude orbits, the air is thin but the air powered electric propulsion can still harness the air as a propellant. The idea is very similar to ion engines that typically use Xenon gas as a fuel. Xenon ions are accelerated by a series of charged plates to high velocity and exit the engine producing small amounts of thrust. The new air propulsion works in a very similar way. The adjustments due to drag from friction imposted on the thin air will be constant but directly harvesting the fuel from the air outside means fuel will never run out.