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Defense Intelligence Reference Document Laser Lightcraft Nanosatellites

Defense Intelligence Agency · 77 pages · text from the file's own layer

This Defense Intelligence Reference Document from the Defense Intelligence Agency, dated 1 November 2010, was produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications (AAWSA) Program. It describes nanosatellite technologies and proposes launching nanosats into orbit with laser Lightcraft propulsion. It also covers a weapon mission selection study and multi-megawatt laser options. The author recommends that the Department of Defense and NASA bring Lightcraft R&D back to the United States and restart the X-50LR flight demonstration program.

  • p. 3 …Ground/Sea-to-Space Concept ............................................................. 27 Figure 15. Air-to-Space Concept ......................................................................... 28 Figure 16. Schematic…
  • p. 31 …Ground/Sea-to-Space Concept: Appropriate rotation of a high-energy laser beam, emanating from a…
  • p. 32 …more than about 10 MW for ground/sea-based lasers, and no more than about 2…
  • p. 33 …SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Ground/Sea to Space (ETO) 261 If laser propulsion can provide nearly all…
  • p. 34 UNCLASSIFIED/ /1"91t 9ffU!l"I!! l!l!il! 8111!!¥ ground, sea and air launches of…
  • p. 37 …favorable for Lightcraft than air-to- ground/sea or air-to-air missions, which are not…
  • p. 39 …to be an attractive alternative to ground/sea-based laser Lightcraft systems. In this case, airborne…
  • p. 43 …would allow detection of most air, land, sea, and space targets, as well as many "low…
  • p. 64 …The Naval Sea Systems Command's (NAVSEA) Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems (DE&EWS) Program…
  • p. 67 …Lightcraft nanosat or picosat from the ground, sea, or air, it will be necessary to control…
  • p. 68 …beam train suitable for ground, airborne and sea platforms. • Primary mirror which is also a deformable…
  • p. 71 …to launch laser-propelled Lightcraft from ground/sea to LEO while apertures on aircraft-mounted laser…
  • p. 72 …The entire Lightcraft launch system is comprised of a ground, sea, or airborne laser beam generator…
  • p. 73 …Launching a laser-propelled Lightcraft nanosat/picosat from the ground, sea, or air into LEO requires…
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system, like the air-to-air one, has reduced capability if an enemy can achieve nearly
simultaneous arrival times for all of its ballistic missiles. If so, then a Lightcraft BMD
system would have to serve as an adjunct to other BMD systems, such as the ground-
based PAC-3 Patriot, THAADS, or NMD which are deployed for national or theater
ballistic missile defense. However, this system could protect regions against limited
ballistic missile attacks at the earliest phase of hostilities before ground-based BMD
systems could arrive and be deployed.
Table 4. Influence of Target Velocity and Intercept Angle on Impact Energy
and Required Mass [2 61.
Lightcraft Lightcraft Impact Ballistic \fissile Threat
Energy -SRBM IRBM ICBM-Intercept Intercept •"d R~2500 km R~ 10,000 km
Velocity Aspect R~IOOO km
Weight V=2 km/s V=4 km/s V=6km/s
0° from Impact E for 25 MJ 49 \fJ 81 MJ
1.0 kg Wt.
Head-on
Collision Wt for lO .40kg .20 kg .12 kg
MJofE
JO" from Impact E for 21 MJ 44 '1:J 74 '1:J
1.0 kg Wt.
J km/s Head-on
Collision Wt. For 10 .47 kg .23 kg .14 kg
MJ ofE
45" from Impact E for 17 MJ 37 MJ 66 MJ
1.0 kg Wt.
Head-on
Collision Wt. for 10 .59 kg .27 kg .15 kg
MJofE
34
UNCLASSIFIED//509 AFFIGI11J.k Wlili &••tv

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Report, from the dia collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is under it. 77 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.