A possible solution to stealth in space

I'm sure most worldbuilders will have heard the aphorism that in space "Everyone sees Everything", or that "There Ain't No Stealth In Space". I'd like to propose a possible solution to this.

The stealth ship would be a drone, probably used as a missile bus, and used for short to medium term missions (weeks to months). Firstly, it would be shaped like a double cone with an inclination of 0.5 degrees, the angular size of the sun at 1AU, and would be continuously pointed towards the sun to minimize solar heating. Secondly, the hull would be coated in VantaBlack to minimize the probability of detection via radar systems or reflection of sunlight. Thirdly, to avoid the emission of infrared radiation, the hull of the ship would double as a storage container for liquid hydrogen, which evaporates at a temperature of 20.28 K. This would ensure that the exterior temperature of the ship is kept at this temperature or lower until the hydrogen has completely melted. The evaporating hydrogen would be used as fuel for cold gas thrusters, which would be positioned around the center of mass to avoid turning the ship and exposing more of its hull to sunlight. This would give the ship maneuvering capability.

The ship would be deployed in a very high earth orbit, in roughly the same orbit as the moon but opposite to it to mitigate risks of discovery by moon-based craft. The sensors attempting to detect the craft are in LEO or MEO, so detection distance is about 360,000 km (roughly lunar perigee). The ship's dimensions, chosen completely arbitrary, will be a 10m central diameter, which, if my math is correct, gives me a length of 1146m or so, and a volume of around 30,000 m^3.

So the question is: Would this be a viable method of stealth in space, and, if so, how long could stealth be maintained for before the heat sinks run out, assuming the ship carries a few missiles and a guidance computer as payload? (Bonus marks for anyone who wants to calculate the delta-v of such a ship)

posted almost 6 years ago

Gryphon‭

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