Abstract: Using at least one pressure sensor in an emptying pipe or a feed pipe between emptying valves at the outlets from tanks and feed valves for feeding nozzles, to detect the pressure waves that result form opening and closing a feed valve, and then following operation of said valve, detecting the damping or disappearance of the pressure waves, indicating that the transition between the liquid propellant component and the pressurization gas is going past said pressure sensor, and thus that the tank is completely empty. This detection of complete emptying is a step in a method of managing propellant that makes it possible to allocate the remaining propellant to a residual lifetime for the satellite in orbit and/or to re-orbiting or de-orbiting the satellite.

Abstract: Using at least one pressure sensor (14, 15, 16) in an emptying pipe (3, 4) or a feed pipe (7, 8, 9) between emptying valves (5, 6) at the outlets from tanks (1, 2) and feed valves (10, 11) for feeding nozzles (12, 13), to detect the pressure waves that result form opening and closing a feed valve (10, 11), and then following operation of said valve (10, 11), detecting the damping or disappearance of the pressure waves, indicating that the transition between the liquid propellant component and the pressurization gas is going past said pressure sensor (14, 15, 16), and thus that the tank (1, 2) is completely empty. This detection of complete emptying is a step in a method of managing propellant that makes it possible to allocate the remaining propellant to a residual lifetime for the satellite in orbit and/or to re-orbiting or de-orbiting the satellite.