A pulsed cathodic arc propulsion system comprising: a solid conductive or semiconductive cathode; an anode having a potential difference relative to said cathode, said potential difference creating an electric field between said anode and said cathode; and a main capacitor bank, configured to dissipate its stored energy in the form of a pulse through the cathode; the system further comprising an insulated electrical trigger comprising a trigger pin, a high voltage trigger power supply and an insulator between said trigger and said cathode adapted to trigger an arc discharge from a point on a upper surface of said cathode in pulses, when said trigger and cathode are substantially in a vacuum, said trigger being bounded within the cathode so that the point at which the arc is triggered is located on the upper surface of said cathode, wherein the system is triggered by a high current surface flashover, wherein the insulated electrical trigger is located at a trigger point on the upper surface of the cathode, said trigger point being within a perimeter of said upper surface and is adapted to create the high current surface flashover across said insulator between the trigger pin and the upper surface of the cathode to generate cathode spots to create a plasma driven by the high voltage trigger power supply, generating a trigger pulse, a pulse control and termination system, adapted to control grounding of the main capacitor bank at the conclusion of the pulse to ensure a nominated pulse duration, characterized by a steering device to steer cathode spots across the surface of the cathode, wherein the main capacitor bank C m is in series with an inductor L m and switch S m, wherein the main capacitor bank is in parallel with a set of sub-banks of capacitors C 1,.., C n where each capacitor (C i) is in series with an inductor L i and a switch S i, and wherein the pulse control and termination system is adapted to control operations of the switches, and the arc discharge pulses for producing the plasma are maintained between the cathode and the anode for a duration of between 20 μs to 500 μs. a solid conductive or semiconductive cathode; an anode having a potential difference relative to said cathode, said potential difference creating an electric field between said anode and said cathode; and a main capacitor bank, configured to dissipate its stored energy in the form of a pulse through the cathode; the system further comprising an insulated electrical trigger comprising a trigger pin, a high voltage trigger power supply and an insulator between said trigger and said cathode adapted to trigger an arc discharge from a point on a upper surface of said cathode in pulses, when said trigger and cathode are substantially in a vacuum, said trigger being bounded within the cathode so that the point at which the arc is triggered is located on the upper surface of said cathode, wherein the system is triggered by a high current surface flashover, wherein the insulated electrical trigger is located at a trigger point on the upper surface of the cathode, said trigger point being within a perimeter of said upper surface and is adapted to create the high current surface flashover across said insulator between the trigger pin and the upper surface of the cathode to generate cathode spots to create a plasma driven by the high voltage trigger power supply, generating a trigger pulse, a pulse control and termination system, adapted to control grounding of the main capacitor bank at the conclusion of the pulse to ensure a nominated pulse duration, characterized by a steering device to steer cathode spots across the surface of the cathode, wherein the main capacitor bank C m is in series with an inductor L m and switch S m, wherein the main capacitor bank is in parallel with a set of sub-banks of capacitors C 1,.., C n where each capacitor (C i) is in series with an inductor L i and a switch S i, and wherein the pulse control and termination system is adapted to control operations of the switches, and the arc discharge pulses for producing the plasma are maintained between the cathode and the anode for a duration of between 20 μs to 500 μs.