We presently have very little to offer on what a thruster may look like, or how it may work. Most of what we know about thrusters relates to propelling boats, space ships, or satellites. So far, big thrusters have been used to help vehicles, weapons, or satellites to escape earth's gravity, and small ones have been used to maintain precise positions.
By “Thruster”, for purposes of this project, we mean an engine that directs energy against the earth’s surface, and sends its exhaust away from the earth, fed by some energy source that is available to the thruster in large amounts. Thruster design, for objects escaping earth’s gravity, was always limited by the amount of fuel available, and thrusters had to be very economical of fuel.
In the present case, we could fuel the thruster with electricity, steam, coal, natural gas or nuclear energy, and have virtually unlimited supplies of fuel.
We don't know whether we will end up with a vast number of little thrusters, or a moderate number of large thrusters, or even just a couple of enormous thrusters.
Unlike a rocket, which is propelled away from the earth by its thrust, the thruster will push upon the earth in the directions needed to achieve the desired result
Unlike a rocket, which is propelled away from the earth by its thurst, the thruster will push upon the earth in the directions needed, to achieve the desired result.
About satellite thrusters: