Wire-to-cylinder corona discharges are studied to better understand the electrohydrodynamic (EHD) phenomena that govern the performances of electric propulsion systems. First, theory associated with EHD thrusters is presented in order to be compared with experimental results. Secondly, direct thrust measurements are carried out to optimize the electrical and geometrical parameters of such devices. The main results are as follows:(1) the discharge current I is proportional to the square root of the grounded electrode diameter and to 1/d 2 where d is the electrode gap;(2) for d⩽ 20 mm, the mobility of negative ions is higher than that of positive ions while the mobility of both ions is equal for higher gaps;(3) therefore, for gap⩾ 30 mm, positive and negative coronas results in the same current-to-thrust conversion;(4) the current-to-thrust conversion is equal to 33 N A− 1 per centimetre of gap, and it is proportional to the gap;(5) the thruster effectiveness θ increases with , decreases with the square root of thrust and reaches about 15 N kW− 1 for d= 40 mm;(6) the force computed from experimental velocity profiles is overestimated compared with the values measured with a balance, showing that this method cannot be used for thrust determination.