Faster than a bullet, cooler than stealth.

“Artist's illustration of a satellite operating in very low Earth orbit. Kreios Space is partnering with Kongsberg NanoAvionics to develop such a satellite mission. (Image credit: Kreios Space/Kongsberg NanoAvionics)(Space.com, Exploring 'very low Earth orbit': The world's 1st air-breathing satellite thruster could soon get a test run)

The satellite’s stealth version could look like Lockheed Martin's Tier III (RQ-3)“DarkStar”. So. Could there be a stealth version of this kind of VLEO satellite? 

New low-orbiting satellite uses air-breathing engines. Spanish company Kreios Space plans to make very low-orbiting satellites. And for the first time, this kind of satellite uses air-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) to provide propulsion. The satellite itself orbits the Earth in a very low Earth orbit (VLEO). That trajectory is far lower than low Earth orbit. It’s actually in the highest atmosphere level. And that allows engineers to use the air-breathing engines. 

The ABEP engine. Pulls gas inside it. And then ionizes and heats it. And then that plasma will be driven back from the satellite. That is one way to make the electric engine. The ABEP engine can also act as a thruster. For aircraft that travel at very high altitudes. This engine can allow craft to operate in very thin air.

This engine will not need any oxygen. And that allows it to operate in Mars’s and Venus's atmosphere. This kind of thruster is the tool. That can make it possible to create aircraft. That can travel higher than ever before. This kind of system. It can be connected to hypersonic aircraft. That aircraft can accelerate in the atmosphere to very high speeds. And then that system can jump. Up to. 50-60 kilometers. There, the ABEP engine starts. The solar panel provides energy to that system. It can be installed in the aircraft’s wings and body. 

The new system could be a miniature space shuttle with a stealth body. That system can support reconnaissance, attack, and anti-hypersonic systems operations. 

The nuclear-powered version. It could revolutionize aviation technology. High-power electric thrusters can transport aircraft to the edge of space. The biggest problem with those systems is the electric source. 

Solar panels, nuclear reactors. Windmill turbogenerators and remote wireless electricity transfer could help to solve those problems. But the VLEO vehicles. Those tools can destroy hypersonic missiles. VLEO vehicles. They can shoot anti-hypersonic missiles or laser beams against hypersonic missiles. Those systems can also be effective tools for ASAT and anti-FOBS (Fractional Orbital Bombardment Systems) 

“RQ-3A DarkStar” (Wikipedia, Lockheed Martin RQ-3 DarkStar)

“Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion concept” (Wikipedia, Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion) 

“Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion, or air-breathing electric propulsion, shortly ABEP, is a propulsion technology for spacecraft, which could allow thrust generation in low orbits without the need for on-board propellant, by using residual gases in the atmosphere as propellant. Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion could make a new class of long-lived, low-orbiting missions feasible.”(Wikipedia, Atmosphere-breathing electric propulsion) 

The defender must cause only a small amount of damage to the front nose of the hypersonic systems. That damage rips the vehicle into pieces. The hypersonic missile flies in the atmosphere. If. The weapon system shoots it into pieces. Those pieces fall to the ground. This means that if the system maximizes impact energy. Traveling in the opposite direction to the hypersonic missiles. 

The regular machine gun bullet. Can destroy the hypersonic missiles. The anti-missile system can travel in the opposite direction against the missile. And when it opens fire, the impact speed of those bullets is over Mach 10. That can destroy missiles. Or a satellite's shell. The gun system. It can look similar. To the WWII-era Schräge Musik. Upward-firing cannons. Used in night fighters. 

The laws of physics determine the speed of the bullet. It is. Speed of the vehicle + muzzle velocity. The impact speed is the speed of the incoming hypersonic missile. And the speed of the bullet. This system can be a small space shuttle. With. An aerodynamic stealth body. As I wrote before. 

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/exploring-very-low-earth-orbit-the-worlds-1st-air-breathing-satellite-thruster-could-soon-get-a-test-run

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmosphere-breathing_electric_propulsion

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractional_Orbital_Bombardment_System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_RQ-3_DarkStar

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schr%C3%A4ge_Musik

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_low_Earth_orbit

https://www.reddit.com/r/Boooks1234/s/etSzIBUWBw