Explainer-What is helium and why is it used in rockets?

By Nivedita Bhattacharjee

BENGALURU (Reuters) – Two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing (NYSE:BA)’s Starliner will stay on the International Space Station for months because of a faulty propulsion system whose problems included helium leaks. Back on Earth, SpaceX’s Polaris (NYSE:PII) Dawn mission has been delayed because of helium issues on ground equipment.

Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft landed uncrewed in a New Mexico desert late on Friday.

Past missions have that have been affected by pesky helium leaks include ISRO’s Chandrayaan 2 and ESA’s Ariane 5. Why do spacecraft and rockets use helium, and what is so tricky about it?

WHY HELIUM?

Helium is inert – it does not react with other substances or combust – and its atomic number is 2, making it the second lightest element after hydrogen.

Rockets need to achieve specific speeds and altitude to reach and maintain orbit. A heavier rocket requires more energy, not only increasing fuel consumption but also needing more powerful engines, which are more expensive to develop, test, and maintain.

Helium also has a very low boiling point (-268.9°C or -452°F), allowing it to remain a gas even in super-cold environments, an important feature because many rocket fuels are stored in that temperature range.

The gas is non-toxic, but cannot be breathed on its own, because it displaces the oxygen humans need for respiration.

HOW IS IT USED?

Helium is used to pressurize fuel tanks, ensuring fuel flows to the rocket’s engines without interruption; and for cooling systems.

As fuel and oxidiser are burned in the rocket’s engines, helium fills the resulting empty space in the tanks, maintaining the overall pressure inside.

Because it is non-reactive, it can safely mingle with the tanks’ residual contents.

IS IT PRONE TO LEAKS?

Helium’s small atomic size and low molecular weight mean its atoms can escape through small gaps or seals in storage tanks and fuel systems.

But because there is very little helium in the Earth’s atmosphere, leaks can be easily detected – making the gas important for spotting potential faults in a rocket or spacecraft’s fuel systems.

In May, hours before Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft made an initial attempt to launch its first astronaut crew, tiny sensors inside the spacecraft detected a small helium leak on one of Starliner’s thrusters that NASA spent several days analysing before deeming it low-risk.

Additional leaks were detected in space after Starliner launched in June, contributing to NASA’s decision to bring Starliner back to Earth without its crew.

The frequency of helium leaks across space-related systems, some engineers say, have highlighted an industry-wide need for innovation in valve design and more precise valve-tightening mechanisms.

ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES?

Some rocket launches have experimented with gases such as argon and nitrogen, which are also inert and can sometimes be cheaper. Helium, however, is much more prevalent in the industry.

Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket ditched the helium of its predecessor Ariane 5 for a novel pressurization system that converts a small portion of its primary liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellants to gas, which then pressurizes those fluids for the rocket engine.

That system failed in space during the final phase of Ariane 6’s otherwise successful debut launch in July, adding to the global rocket industry’s long list of pressurization challenges.