A gas generation system, comprising: a combustion chamber; an electrically operated propellant within the combustion chamber; and characterised in that the gas generation system further comprises: an even number of four or more alternating + and - electrodes configured for coupling with an electrical power source, said electrical power source configured to apply an electrical input across the electrodes, the gas generation system configured to create an ignition condition in which (a) a current density through the propellant between each adjacent pair of electrodes on an ignition surface exhibits a decreasing gradient along an axis normal to the ignition surface, (b) a contour of the ignition surface approximately matches a contour of current lines between the electrodes such that current density is approximately constant across the ignition surface and (c) the current density at the ignition surface exceeds an ignition threshold as approximately all of ignition surface burns and regresses along the axis, and wherein the even number of four or more said electrodes are spaced radially about a longitudinal axis and embedded in said electrically operated propellant, each adjacent pair of said four or more electrodes being angled at greater than 20 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to each other such that a cross-section of the propellant between the electrodes increases in diameter along an axis normal to an ignition surface that regresses radially along the axis away from the longitudinal axis. a combustion chamber; an electrically operated propellant within the combustion chamber; and characterised in that the gas generation system further comprises: an even number of four or more alternating + and - electrodes configured for coupling with an electrical power source, said electrical power source configured to apply an electrical input across the electrodes, the gas generation system configured to create an ignition condition in which (a) a current density through the propellant between each adjacent pair of electrodes on an ignition surface exhibits a decreasing gradient along an axis normal to the ignition surface, (b) a contour of the ignition surface approximately matches a contour of current lines between the electrodes such that current density is approximately constant across the ignition surface and (c) the current density at the ignition surface exceeds an ignition threshold as approximately all of ignition surface burns and regresses along the axis, and wherein the even number of four or more said electrodes are spaced radially about a longitudinal axis and embedded in said electrically operated propellant, each adjacent pair of said four or more electrodes being angled at greater than 20 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to each other such that a cross-section of the propellant between the electrodes increases in diameter along an axis normal to an ignition surface that regresses radially along the axis away from the longitudinal axis. an even number of four or more alternating + and - electrodes configured for coupling with an electrical power source, said electrical power source configured to apply an electrical input across the electrodes, the gas generation system configured to create an ignition condition in which (a) a current density through the propellant between each adjacent pair of electrodes on an ignition surface exhibits a decreasing gradient along an axis normal to the ignition surface, (b) a contour of the ignition surface approximately matches a contour of current lines between the electrodes such that current density is approximately constant across the ignition surface and (c) the current density at the ignition surface exceeds an ignition threshold as approximately all of ignition surface burns and regresses along the axis, and wherein the even number of four or more said electrodes are spaced radially about a longitudinal axis and embedded in said electrically operated propellant, each adjacent pair of said four or more electrodes being angled at greater than 20 degrees and less than 90 degrees with respect to each other such that a cross-section of the propellant between the electrodes increases in diameter along an axis normal to an ignition surface that regresses radially along the axis away from the longitudinal axis.