AAWSAP DIRD, Laser Lightcraft Nanosatellites, November 2010

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Contents
Chapter 1: Nanosatellite Technologies .................................................................. 3
Chapter 2: Laser Lightcraft Nanosatellite Propulsion ..............................................11
Chapter 3: Laser Lightcraft Weapon Mission Selection Study ..................................27
Chapter 4: Summary of Multi-Megawatt Laser Study for Lightcraft Propulsion
Applications .....................................................................................................42
Chapter 5: Conclusion ......................................................................................68
References .......................................................................................................71
Figures
Figure 1. Air Force X-25LR Laser Lightcraft ..........................................................12
Figure 2. AFRL Test Vehicle in Vertical Flight ........................................................14
Figure 3. Time-Lapse Photo of a Lightcraft Undergoing an Outdoor Vertical Flight Test 15
Figure 4. Lightcraft Flight-Test Vehicle Used in Horizontal Guide-Wire Flight Tests ...... 16
Figure 5. Lightcraft Undergoing Horizontal Guide-Wire Flight Test ...........................16
Figure 6. Lightcraft Undergoing Horizontal Guide-Wire Flight Test ...........................17
Figure 7. Lightcraft Concept .......... ...... ................ ... .......... ........... .......... ............ .18
Figure 8. Lightcraft Trajectory and Associated Pointing Angles .................................19
Figure 9. Lightcraft Vehicle Evolution ... ................. ..... ........ ............. .......... ...........20
Figure 10. Attenuation Effects on Captured Laser Beam Power................................22
Figure 11. Influence of Trajectory and Laser Wavelength on Captured Power .............22
Figure 12. Captured Laser Power vs. Increasing Range from 11.2 µm CO2 Laser ........23
Figure 13. Influence of Lightcraft Range and Pointing Angles on Captured Power........24
Figure 14. Ground/Sea-to-Space Concept .............................................................27
Figure 15. Air-to-Space Concept . .................................................. ............ ......... .28
Figure 16. Schematic of Power Oscillator Optics ....................................................44
Figure 17. Schematic of MOPA ............................................................................45
Figure 18. Schematic of the Laser N2/CO2/H2 Gas Flow System ................................45
Figure 19. Northrop Grumman's Joint High Power Bulk Slab Solid-State Laser ...........48
Figure 20. DARPA's High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System .........................50
Figure 21. Phase Change Materials Allow Storage of Large Intermittent Heat Loads
While Slow Regeneration Removes Heat from Aircraft ............................................52
Figure 22. Typical HPFL MOPA Design... ...............................................................54
Figure 23. Fiber Laser Beam Combining Techniques ...............................................54
Figure 24. Pumping Fiber Lasers .........................................................................56
Figure 25. Large and Small Diameter Fiber Lasers .................................................56
Figure 26. Single Mode Fiber Laser Modules ..........................................................57
Figure 27. Multimode HPFLs ................................ ...............................................57
Figure 28. Free-Electron Laser............................................................................58
Figure 29. Free-Electron Laser Mechanism ............................................................58
Figure 30. Free-Electron Laser Electron Beam Phase-Space Evolution .......................59
Figure 31. Recirculating-Beam FEL System ...........................................................60
Figure 32. High-Power FEL Optical Resonator ........................................................62
Figure 33. Notional Long Range HEL Beam Control System .....................................64
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