ABEP and VLEO satellites.

The futuristic ABEP shuttle can look a little bit like this fictional space fighter. Air inlets pull thin gas into the engine. Then the system ionizes that gas. And the system will shoot those ions back. The atmospheric laser-ramjet engine can act like a regular ramjet. But the laser or microwave system can drive the gas expansion in the combustion chamber. The laser- or electric ramjet engine can be the next-generation aviation system. The electric jet engine. Or a plasma jet engine. And its ramjet version can be connected to ABEP systems—the ABEP systems tested in laboratories. 

Real orbital tests.  Have not yet been conducted. 

Atmospheric-breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) can allow a satellite to remain in very low Earth orbit (VLEO) almost indefinitely. The VLEO orbiter is an ideal place for reconnaissance satellites. But the problem is this. That orbiter orbits at an altitude of 100-200 kilometers. And there. The air resistance makes satellites drop back to Earth quite soon. Or the satellite must use its engine very often. Every single satellite has limited fuel capacity. The VLEO vehicle must return to Earth quite soon. And that is the thing that makes the VLEO missions very difficult. ABEP engine. 

Can be the solution to this problem. The system pulls very thin air into its chamber. Then the system ionizes that gas. And after that. The ion system pushes ionized gas backwards. The ABEP engine can get its electricity from solar panels. Theoretically, that engine system could keep a satellite in VLEO. For. Unlimited time. The thruster uses an electron cannon to ionize that gas. And then accelerators push that gas backward. 

SR-72 Dark Star. Or. Some of its concepts. Those systems can also be connected with ABEP. 

Atmosphere-Breathing Electric Propulsion concept. Those systems can also be used as plasmoid weapons. 

Another version is that the lasers or microwaves can expand that gas. And. That expansion pushes the satellite upward. The fact is that. The ABEP systems can also be installed with electric jet engines or ramjet engines. The system uses ramjets or other air-breathing systems to transport that spacecraft to a trans-atmospheric trajectory. There. That system can start an ABEP drive. Microwave or laser systems can raise the thrust. 

The big thing. In an ABEP engine. The system can also use it to create a plasma tail. The plasma tail can deny satellite communication. And deny radars the ability to see through that tail. This can. Make it possible. To use ABEP systems as plasmoid jammers. The ABEP systems can also increase the next-generation spy planes’ and missiles’ flight time.  Maybe next-generation spy planes like the SR-72 Dark Star and other similar systems can use the ABEP drive. When. They travel in a VLEO orbiter. In those cases, the aircraft accelerates to a ballistic jump. And. Activates its ABEP drive. While. It returns to the atmosphere. This system. Can give spaceplanes a new ability. ABEP engines are suitable for small-sized systems. The engine system can use solar panels and RTGs (Isotope batteries). 

Or. Full-scale. But small-sized portable nuclear reactors as their power supply.  Maybe. Some next-generation stealth bombers can also use the ABEP systems. The missile. It can have an ABEP carrier. That system keeps it in VLEO. There, it can wait for orders. Then that cruise missile can dive to the ozone layer and start the mission. The ABEP system can use solar panels. Or an internal nuclear reactor. The remarkable thing is that. This kind of system can also operate in other planets’ orbiters. The Venus orbiters can use that system in low-orbit missions. 

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/new-electric-jet-engine-actually-works-inside-the-atmosphere

https://scitechdaily.com/new-satellite-engine-could-use-earths-atmosphere-as-fuel-to-stay-in-orbit-indefinitely/

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_Martin_SR-72

https://medium.com/@batrobin/abep-and-vleo-satellites-cb6a3173d5d6

New rocket engine designs can improve spaceflight.

“Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (test photo and illustration)(Interesting engineering)

The rotating detonation rocket engine (RDE) could be the new thruster for space missions. These engines use a rotating combustion event to generate more thrust. That is why the RDE engines are under development. Those engines could serve regular space rockets. And maybe trans-atmospheric planes (TAV). Those are so-called rocket planes. The TAV vehicle can operate from regular runways. Travel in the atmosphere using regular jet engines. 

And when they must operate outside the atmosphere, those planes switch to rocket engines. These tools are required for next-generation orbital operations. The original TAV system concept uses air-breathing engines to reach trans-atmospheric orbit (TAO). There. The improved version can activate its rocket engines. 

Another remarkable tool. They are the so-called Hall-effect engines. Those engines use ion flow to give thrust. The problem with those engines is their weak thrust. But their specific impulse is very high. Hall-effect engines use recoil from ions. To move the craft forward. And the big problem is the thrust. Hall-effect thrusters require. A regular rocket. To lift off from the atmosphere. 

“Hydrosat (left) Starlight thruster fire testing (right)” (Interesting engineering)

“Hall thruster. Hall thrusters are largely axially symmetric. This is a cross-section containing that axis.” (Wikipedia, Hall-effect thruster)

“Nuclear-powered spacecraft (render)” (Interesting engineering) 

The new Hall-effect thruster, named Starlight, uses solid zinc as propellant. Those systems could also use mercury, iron, or any other ionized material as propellants. 

Maybe. It's possible. To create electromagnetic-chemical rocket engines. That also creates strong thrust. There is a possibility. To expand propellant in the combustion chamber using a laser or microwave system. The propellant will be conducted into the combustion or expansion chamber. And then lasers or microwaves expand that propellant, which can be hydrogen. 

There is also the possibility of creating an ion system. That ionizes air at the front of the wing. And then magnetic rails pull those ions from above the wing. This kind of system. It can decrease the aircraft's weight. The aircraft doesn’t need to move if it levitates. The system. It must just make gas. To flow over the top of the wing. That air, or ion flow, can also decrease the ground pressure. And if that flow is strong enough. That system can pull the aircraft into the air.  Ion systems can also act as plasma stealth. That makes aircraft invisible to radar. 

An ion cannon that launches an ion beam in the atmosphere can create an extremely strong flash. That gives those systems a stun effect. 

The interplanetary spacecraft requires nuclear reactors. Those systems create electric arcs for thrusters. That vaporizes propellant. The new Hall-effect thruster used solid zinc as propellant. That kind of thruster can open a path to the entire solar system. But the fact is that. The Hall-effect thrusters are easy to transform into space weapons. The system can shoot anions in the middle of the ion beams. Or the electron beam. The electron beam. That travels in the ion beam. Can keep those beams in their form. Those high-energy systems require nuclear reactors. 

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-reactor-space-161m-award

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-reactor-space-161m-award

https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/zinc-hall-effect-thruster-fires-in-space

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall-effect_thruster

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

Space weapons are coming.

U.S. confirmed it has weapons in space. This is the next step in the arms race. Satellites play a big role in the modern military. That's why the military wants to affect them. GPS, communication, and reconnaissance satellites are high-value targets. And. Without those systems. intelligent warfare is impossible. The next point is that satellites disturb fire-control radars. ECM satellites are used in Iran. Those systems can disrupt drone swarms. And other data communications. 

This is why every nation with space capacity develops ASAT systems. A system that threatens ECM and radar satellites can be a large version of anti-radiation missiles. 

The anti-satellite weapons might not destroy targeted satellites. They can try to jam their signals. Or slam their systems down with an EMP pulse. In those cases, the weapon can use capacitor-based systems. That sends high-power microwaves or radio waves to targeted satellites. 

"A Davy Crockett micro nuke at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, 1961" (Wikipedia, Davy Crockett (nuclear device)

“A notional rendering of China's reusable Shenlong space plane. (Image credit: Erik Simonsen/Getty Images)” (Space.com)

The killer satellites' mission is to destroy other satellites. Or, they can be used to create high-power EMP signals using nuclear warheads. Requires a new type of reaction. The nuclear-based EMP is one of the most powerful weapons. There is a possibility that the satellite can drop nuclear weapons on targets. So-called. FOBS (Fractional Orbital Bombardment Systems). They can be miniature space shuttles. Those shuttles can hang in orbit and wait for orders to attack. In that case, those systems can be stealth shuttles that make kamikaze attacks against ground targets. There is suspicion that. The Chinese Shenlong miniature space shuttle can be a prototype for this kind of weapon. 

If. An orbiting satellite carries a nuclear weapon. It requires very fast reactions. The same way. If. The hunter-killer satellite starts to follow a friendly satellite. That requires fast counteractions. The problem with killer satellites is simple. Any satellite can act as this type of weapon. Especially microsatellites can be tools. They can destroy other satellites with kinetic energy. The miniature satellite can collide with other satellites. 

Or they can involve high-power EMP systems. One version of those tools is a micro nuke that detonates in an air tank. A 20-ton nuclear detonator can form a so-called controlled EMP pulse. Or they can involve high-power capacitors. That pushes lots of energy. To microwave- or radio-wave-based systems. Those satellites can wait in orbit. 

Things like miniature shuttles that can wait in orbit to attack require counter-actions. Those shuttles can carry internal nuclear warheads. This makes them so-called super drones. Satellites can also drop drone swarms into operational areas. Those systems are dangerous to troops and civilians. This means that drone swarms that satellites can deliver can hunt individual people on the streets. That makes those tools excellent assassination tools. And those systems require fast reactions. 

https://www.space.com/china-space-plane-depoyed-mystery-objects

https://www.twz.com/space/new-details-on-how-space-force-has-waged-electronic-warfare-against-iran

https://www.twz.com/space/u-s-admits-it-has-weapons-in-orbit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

German startup launched a rocket from Norway.

German startup Isar Aerospace made history. It launched the Spectrum rocket into orbit from Norway. The launch was made from the Andøya spaceport. And it's the first orbital launch from the European continent. This is a remarkable step. 

The Spectrum rocket is Isar Aerospace’s two-stage launch vehicle, 28 m tall and 2 m in diameter, and has ten engines. It is meant to launch payloads of up to 1000 kg to low Earth orbit. The Spectrum rocket carried five CubeSats and one scientific experiment. That kind of system is ideal for high-atmosphere research. And. Launching low-orbiting reconnaissance satellites.  If Europe wants space independence. It also needs ASAT systems. That can protect and affect hostile satellites. 

These kinds of systems. They are quite similar to Russian/Ukrainian Tsyklon rockets. But Tsyklon is heavier. It can transport 4000 kg to low Earth orbit. The Spectrum type of rocket increases European space independence. Those light/medium systems can launch European reconnaissance satellites. The biggest problem is that Europe needs space independence. European northern areas are excellent places. To launch satellites into polar trajectories. This is why Elon Musk wants Greenland.  Another possibility is to launch rockets from ships. 

Light. Or medium boosters can be transported to the launch area by ships. And then the launch can be made from a ship.  During this process, the crew can wait on another ship. Until. The rocket leaves. The launch procedure can be performed. Using AI-controlled computers under remote control. 

The reason for that is safety. There is always a small possibility that the rocket explodes. Another thing is the noise. Rockets are noisier than aircraft. So the launching units must wait at a safe distance. Or the launching crew must stay in rooms with special sound isolation. The vacuum layer between outside and safe rooms can make launching safer. 

The Spectrum rocket. Before launch. 

One reason nations are interested in Northern areas is that it is easiest to send satellites into polar trajectories. High-resolution reconnaissance satellites use this trajectory. When a satellite reaches the polar cap, it changes its course. Then it can get the best possible coverage of Earth for its sensors. This is one of the reasons. That makes northern areas interesting. 

Another place with the same benefits for satellite launching is Antarctica. The problem is that Antarctica is very far away from Europe. And North America. Many spaceports are near the equator. There. Earth's rotation pushes rockets forward.  This is why almost all rockets travel in the same direction as the Earth’s rotation. Israel is an exception. It launches rockets in a different direction. There, they don't fly over Arab nations. The equatorial orbit is ideal for communication satellites. But reconnaissance satellites use polar trajectories to cover larger land areas. Military launches highly classified satellites. 

It sets its own limits for the trajectories.  Satellites travel over the sea as much as possible during the booster stage. If the booster fails, the satellite drops into the sea. And hostile countries will not get its components into their hands. A launch from Norway is a pathfinder for a new, more independent Europe. Media all around the world noticed that launch. Reuters. And Al Jazeera and many other news agencies gave it media space. 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/6/german-company-launches-rocket-as-europe-enters-satellite-race

https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Boost/Isar_Aerospace_achieves_first_launch_to_orbit_from_continental_Europe

https://isaraerospace.com/launch

https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/german-space-rocket-lifts-off-norway-base-2026-09-05/

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/isar-aerospace-second-launch-norway-andoya-spaceport-spectrum-rocket

https://spacenews.com/isar-aerospace-reaches-orbit-on-second-spectrum-launch/

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

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum_(rocket)

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

New high-flying helicopters can operate as atmospheric satellites.

“In this illustration, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter stands on the Red Planet’s surface as NASA’s Perseverance rover (partially visible on the left) rolls away. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech” (ScitechDaily, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Survives First Frigid Martian Night on Its Own) 

Mars helicopters like Ingenuity operate in a very thin atmosphere. They operate at a pressure that matches the altitude of 30 to 35 kilometers above sea level on Earth. That means similar technology developed for Mars helicopters can be used for extremely high-flying helicopters. AI-controlled rotor speed makes it possible. 

Those helicopters can operate in Earth's atmosphere. The AI adjusts the rotor’s rotation speed to the gas pressure. That system can be used for atmospheric satellites. 

For example, those atmospheric satellites are high-flying communication relay systems. Or they can operate as COMINT/SIGINT missions. They can have radars in their blades. That makes it possible for them to operate as surveillance platforms. The small helicopter can drop laser-guided grenades. 

From the upper atmosphere. This makes it possible to create highly accurate systems. That can be dangerous for things like airplanes and small vehicles.

Miniature satellite. 

So they. Can observe drones’ communications with their operators. The miniature helicopter is smaller than airships and balloons. 

An automatic system can also be used. To collect samples. And many other things. The small-sized helicopter can carry a miniature satellite to high altitude. That means the miniature satellite operates in the atmosphere. At an altitude of 30-35 km. 

The big question is: What would somebody do with stratospheric helicopters? They can fly at altitudes that are higher than almost any airplane can operate. 

When we think about helicopters and technology developed for them. Technology. Developed for rotors and systems can also be used in other systems. Those systems can be used. 

For full-scale stealth and rescue helicopters. They can run new types of operations. Those helicopters can search for people in high mountains. Or fly over high mountains like the Himalayas. 

The helicopter backpack that can carry one man to the roof of a building might look complicated. Gas pressure limits. The parachute jumping altitude. If. The jumper uses a pressure suit. That means the suit must be put somewhere. The small helicopter or drone can solve this problem. 

But a high-altitude helicopter jumper. To use pressure suits. When. That helicopter carries the jumper to the right position. That person can strip off the pressure suit and pack it into the helicopter. That flies away. 

https://scitechdaily.com/nasa-breaks-the-sound-barrier-with-new-mars-helicopter-rotors/

https://scitechdaily.com/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-survives-first-frigid-martian-night-on-its-own/