Have a look at the photos in #502.
You mentioned to me you thought the thing had an ion lift mechanism, and directed me to a web page that explained it well.
This thing is back in its 4th configuration, and I thought you would like to know.
Looks as if they have refined the thrust mechanism to direct the ion stream. The rings are probably lower power thrusters that are used for stability. The needles sticking out at various angles could be ion thrusters for steering. If you’ve ever played around with a Tesla coil, you can make a neat ion spinner by making a poited S shaped wire that balances on a needle. The electrons tend to escape from the pointed ends of the S and it spins at high speed.