Metamaterial-Based Thermal Shielding Structures for Reusable Hypersonic Space Transportation Systems

Notice

This is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.

Year : 2026 | Volume : 16 | 02 | Page :
By

Bibhu Prasad Ganthia,

Subash Ranjan Kabat,

  1. Asssitant Professor, Electrical Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Dhenkanal, Odisha, India
  2. Professor and Principal, Electrical Engineering, Radhakrishna Institute of Technology and Engineering, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Abstract

The rapid development of reusable hypersonic space transportation systems has intensified the need for advanced thermal protection technologies capable of withstanding extreme aerodynamic heating conditions encountered during atmospheric re-entry and sustained hypersonic flight. Conventional thermal shielding materials often suffer from high structural weight, limited adaptability, thermal fatigue, and degradation under repeated thermal cycling. This study proposes a novel Metamaterial-Based Thermal Shielding Structure for Reusable Hypersonic Space Transportation Systems, integrating engineered metamaterial architectures with ultra-high- temperature ceramic composites and multifunctional heat management mechanisms to achieve superior thermal protection performance. The proposed structure utilizes periodic micro-lattice geometries and tunable electromagnetic properties to manipulate heat transfer pathways through radiation suppression, phononic wave attenuation, and adaptive thermal dissipation. Numerical simulations under Mach 8–15 flight conditions demonstrate a reduction in surface temperature by approximately 27.8%, improvement in thermal resistance by 34.6%, and enhancement of thermal cycling durability by 41.3% compared with conventional ceramic thermal protection systems. Furthermore, the lightweight metamaterial design achieves a mass reduction of 18.5%, contributing to improved payload capacity and fuel efficiency. The integration of artificial intelligence-assisted thermal prediction models further enables real-time structural health monitoring and predictive maintenance. The proposed approach offers a promising pathway toward sustainable, reusable, and high-performance thermal protection solutions for future hypersonic aerospace transportation systems.

Keywords: Metamaterials; Thermal Protection Systems; Hypersonic Vehicles; Reusable Space Transportation; Ultra-High-Temperature Ceramics; Aerospace Structures.

How to cite this article:
Bibhu Prasad Ganthia, Subash Ranjan Kabat. Metamaterial-Based Thermal Shielding Structures for Reusable Hypersonic Space Transportation Systems. Journal of Aerospace Engineering & Technology. 2026; 16(02):-.
How to cite this URL:
Bibhu Prasad Ganthia, Subash Ranjan Kabat. Metamaterial-Based Thermal Shielding Structures for Reusable Hypersonic Space Transportation Systems. Journal of Aerospace Engineering & Technology. 2026; 16(02):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/joaet/article=2026/view=250432

References

  1. Yuan Y, Yu JL, Pan Y, Zheng S. Low-resolution phase shifter-based hybrid precoding for mmWave massive MIMO. EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking. 2024 Nov 5;2024(1):85.
  2. Zeng J, Liao B. Transmit and receive hybrid beamforming design for OFDM dual-function radar- communication systems. EURASIP journal on advances in signal processing. 2023 Mar 20;2023(1):37.
  3. Maeng SJ, Yapici Y, Güvenç I, Dai H, Bhuyan A. Hybrid precoding for mmWave massive MIMO with one-bit DAC. IEEE Communications Letters. 2020 Aug 10;24(12):2941-5..
  4. Morsali A, Haghighat A, Champagne B. Deep learning-based hybrid analog-digital signal processing in mmWave massive-MIMO systems. IEEE Access. 2022 Jul 5;10:72348-62.
  5. Kassam J, Miri M, Magueta R, Castanheira D, Pedrosa P, Silva A, Dinis R, Gameiro A. Two-step multiuser equalization for hybrid mmwave massive mimo gfdm systems. Electronics. 2020 Jul 29;9(8):1220.
  6. Xie H, Wang Y, Gao Z, Ganthia BP, Truong CV. Research on frequency parameter detection of frequency shifted track circuit based on nonlinear algorithm. Nonlinear Engineering. 2021 Jan 1;10(1):592-9.
  7. Gu J, Wang W, Yin R, Truong CV, Ganthia BP. Complex circuit simulation and nonlinear characteristics analysis of GaN power switching device. Nonlinear Engineering. 2021 Jan 1;10(1):555- 62.
  8. Rubavathy SJ, Venkatasubramanian R, Kumar MM, Ganthia BP, Kumar JS, Hemachandu P, Ramkumar MS. Smart grid based multiagent system in transmission sector. In2021 Third International Conference on Inventive Research in Computing Applications (ICIRCA) 2021 Sep 2 (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
  9. Priyadarshini L, Kundu S, Maharana MK, Ganthia BP. Controller design for the pitch control of an autonomous underwater vehicle. Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research. 2022 Aug 7;12(4):8967-71.
  10. Zheng W, Mehbodniya A, Neware R, Wawale SG, Ganthia BP, Shabaz M. Modular unmanned aerial vehicle platform design: Multi-objective evolutionary system method. Computers and Electrical Engineering. 2022 Apr 1;99:107838.
  11. Peddakapu K, Mohamed MR, Srinivasarao P, Veerendra AS, Kishore DJ, Leung PK. Review on automatic generation control strategies for stabilising the frequency deviations in multi-area power system. International Journal of Ambient Energy. 2022 Dec 31;43(1):5571-94.
  12. Guo S, Li X, Guo Z, Zhao X, Meng S, Li Z. Polarization-independent optoelectronic modulator based on graphene ridge structure. Nanomaterials. 2021 Sep 29;11(10):2559.
  13. Deng X, Li Z, Cao F, Hong E, Fang X. Woven fibrous photodetectors for scalable UV optical communication device. Advanced Functional Materials. 2023 Jun;33(23):2213334.
  14. Guo FH, Hao LZ, Yu WZ, Li SQ, Liu GC, Hao JY, Liu YJ. High‐performance Si/VO2‐nanorod heterojunction photodetector based on photothermoelectric effect for detecting human radiation. Rare Metals. 2024 Mar;43(3):1177-85.
  15. Pellis S. Golden Fractals in Fluid Dynamics and Turbulence. Available at SSRN 5543579. 2025 Sep 28.
  16. Sharma BP, Peelam MS, Gupta A, Shekhar C, Chamola V. A comprehensive survey on data converters for iot applications: Scope, issues and future directions. IEEE Internet of Things Journal. 2025 Mar 20.
  17. Baraa SM, Desa H, Mohammed KS, Al-Malaisi TA, Hussain AS, Majdi HS. Selective harmonic elimination in reduced-switch multilevel inverters for PV systems using the sparrow search algorithm. Journal of Robotics and Control (JRC). 2025 Feb 15;6(1):385-95.
  18. Sahoo LK, Mahanta S, Kumar S, Kaliappan S, Ganthia BP. Fast Transient Detection and Power Quality Improvement in Grid-Connected Photovoltaic Systems Using Spiking Neural Networks. In2026 International Conference on Electrical and Electronics for Sustainable Innovations (ICEESI) 2026 Mar 27 (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
  19. Mahanta S, Sahoo LK, Balaraju V, Kaliappan S, Ganthia BP. Design and Performance Analysis of a Distributed Modular Active Power Filter Network for Power Quality Improvement in PV System. In2026 International Conference on Electrical and Electronics for Sustainable Innovations (ICEESI) 2026 Mar 27 (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
  20. Ganthia BP, Barik SK, Nayak B, Priyadarshi N, Padmanaban S, Hiran KK, Holm-Nielson JB, Bansal RC. 2 Power control of modified type III DFIG-based wind turbine system using four-mode type I fuzzy logic controller. Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things for Renewable Energy Systems. 2021 Nov 22;12:41.
Ahead of Print Subscription Review Article
Volume 16
02
Received 15/07/2026
Accepted 16/07/2026
Published 22/07/2026
Publication Time 7 Days

Login

My IP

PlumX Metrics