China's helium breakthrough promises stealthier missiles
A research team from China has revealed that they have discovered a new method of injecting helium into rocket engines, which can be used to create modern missiles. According to them, these missiles are much harder to detect or intercept. They discovered this by investigating the failure of the Starliner spacecraft.
Scientists from China have disclosed that they have developed a new type of rocket engine that they claim could be used in advanced missiles, called stealth missiles. Their research was published in the scientific journal "Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica". In the article, they report that they have made significant progress in the field of rocket propulsion, which could potentially lead to the creation of a new generation of missiles capable of changing speed in flight and avoiding detection by early warning systems.
Currently, this concept is only theoretical. They have not confirmed whether any working prototypes have been developed, and they also state that this technology has not been tested yet. At this stage, the results are based solely on computer models and have not yet been tested in practice, as reported by Interesting Engineering.
The inspiration was the malfunction of the Starliner spacecraft
Interestingly, the new technology was reportedly inspired by an incident in Earth's orbit last year. According to the South China Morning Post, the inspiration for this discovery came from malfunctions in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which "trapped" two NASA astronauts on the ISS. In June 2024, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were stuck on the ISS after the Boeing Starliner capsule, which took them there, suffered numerous failures and was eventually brought back to Earth without a crew. A short, week-long mission turned into a ten-month expedition, with its completion scheduled for mid-March, when the astronauts are expected to return home.
The main cause of the Starliner's problems was helium system leaks, which serve to maintain pressure in liquid-fuel rockets. Helium is used to introduce fuel into the reaction chamber and must be stored separately, then passed through valves at the appropriate time. This makes the system susceptible to leaks. In the past, similar issues have affected other spacecraft, including India's Chandrayaan-2 and the European Ariane 5 rocket.
Innovative method of utilizing helium
In the research, scientists described a rocket engine design in which helium is directly mixed with fuel in the combustion chamber through microscopic pores. This solution allows for maintaining pressure in the fuel and provides a more efficient reaction while reducing the risk of leakage. The key difference from the Starliner and most other spacecraft is the possibility of using a combination of solid and gaseous fuel instead of liquid, which makes the system cheaper and more reliable.
According to the scientists, the appropriate ratio of helium and fuel could generate over three times the thrust compared to fuel alone. Additionally, the ability to remotely regulate the amount of helium delivered to the engine would theoretically allow for changing the missile's speed during flight, making it harder to track and intercept.
The new engine would also produce less heat. According to researchers, its exhaust plume could be potentially 1600°C cooler than that of traditional rockets. If this technology were used in missiles, the weapon could become almost invisible to modern early warning systems, such as SpaceX's Starshield satellites, which track missiles based on their thermal signature, reports Interesting Engineering.
The technology has been enhanced
This is not the first publication regarding this technology. In September 2024, the same research group published an article in the American journal "Physics of Fluids," describing the theoretical capabilities of the new engine. This suggests that the concept may have originated even before the Starliner failure, considering the time it takes to publish scientific work.
The earlier research mainly focused on increasing thrust through helium injection, while the latest article emphasizes primarily the potential application in stealth missiles and their ability to avoid detection and defensive systems.
However, this technology may find applications not only in the military. Solid-fuel rockets are cheaper than liquid-fuel ones, so the new engine could significantly reduce the costs of spaceflights. This is significant given the increasing number of space missions worldwide.
