Long-term storage of liquid cryogenic fuel components in outer space

An important aspect of building space modules containing cryogenic fuel components is how to maintain their temperature conditions throughout the flight. No matter how high the insulation characteristics of the heat shields and heat bridges are, the cryogenic fuel gets heated up, which reduces the time of stay of the modules in space. The rocket and space corporation Énergiya has developed and experimentally tested for the first time the concept of long-term storage of cryogenic fuel with the help of active airborne (on-board) temperature control devices, proved the efficacy of temperature control in terms of mass and energy using a gas cryogenic machine (GCM), and conducted wide-ranging experimental research.