Documents / Official release
This Defense Intelligence Reference Document (DIA-08-1011-001), dated 1 November 2010, was prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency's Defense Warning Office under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications program. It covers nanosatellite technologies, laser Lightcraft propulsion, a weapon mission selection study and a multi-megawatt laser study. The author recommends that the Department of Defense, working with NASA, bring laser Lightcraft propulsion research back to the United States and restart the Air Force X-50LR test flight program.
From the source:Release of 2026-09-18 Incident: 11/1/10, Las Vegas, Nevada. Released with redactions. This document is a Defense Intelligence Reference Document (DIRD), a technical reference format used by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to capture baseline knowledge on a specific topic for later analytic use. DIRDs are best understood as reference and synthesis products rather than as original research. It is one of 38 DIRDs produced under the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP) between 2009 and 2011. Because AAWSAP’s scope permitted a broad range of supporting topics, not every DIRD in the series directly concerns aerospace systems or future threat assessment. The following summary reflects the DIRD’s scope and framing at the time of writing and should not be read as implying current validation of the concepts discussed. This DIRD examines laser-propelled “Lightcraft” as a possible low-cost method to launch very small satellites into low Earth orbit by using a remote high-energy laser to supply most of the propulsion energy rather than relying entirely on onboard energy sources. The report combines a survey of nanosatellite trends with a review of “Lightcraft” propulsion concepts, vehicle design, beam-control requirements, and mission studies, and argues that the most promising application is the launch of nano- or pico-satellites, especially Earth- and space-observing payloads of a few kilograms or less. It presents the concept as potentially much cheaper than conventional multistage rockets for very small payloads, while also noting significant practical constraints including strict beam-riding geometry, atmospheric losses, demanding pointing and adaptive-optics requirements, and heavy dependence on large ground-, sea-, or air-based laser infrastructure. Overall, the document presents laser “Lightcraft” as a technically plausible launch concept whose attractiveness depends on whether the supporting laser and beam-control system can be made reliable and economical at operational scale.
UNCLASSIFIED/,'rOR: orrlCIJ!tL USE 014Lf Figure 12 shows, for a given laser aperture diameter, adaptive optics, and atmospheric cond itions, the decrease in laser power collected by the Lig htcraft with increasing range from a 11.2 μm wavelength CO2 laser. The decrease is shown for a vertical laser pointing angle and for a final laser-poin ting angle of 83° (from the vertical) that occurs at maximum laser propulsion range (about 500 km), where the Lightcraft reaches maximum speed. 1.E+07---------.-------,-------r------, i -.:= 11.2 micron Laser Wavelengthf J:! -:i La er Beam Angle from the Vertical :i 1.E+06-l--½--- ~a:----=-----F""-..::-------:c:-+.,-------::----:---+------t----t 300 400 5000 100 200 Ligbtcraft Slant Range from Laser (km) Figure 12. Captured Laser Power vs. Increasing Range from 11.2 μm CO2 Laser 1261. Figure 13 shows the significant difference in the laser power collected by the Lightcraft during its laser propulsion phase of flight for the selected laser wavelength of 1.62 μm, and for t he 11.2 μm CO2 laser wavelength chosen for a government baseline Lightcraft. This comparison is for a Lightcraft trajectory determined from optimization work during the latter phases of the Froning and Davis study. It was also for the highest rad iated power (10 MW) and the largest laser aperture (10 m) that was deemed practical for Air Force operations and systems. Unfortunately the demonstrated laser beam power levels for the attractive 1.62 μm wavelength, which suffered the least propagation losses, are relatively modest. This attractive laser wavelength is associated with the wavelength-tunable free-electron laser (FEL), whose maximum beam power is currently in the 20 kW range. Th us, there is the need for a 500-fold increase in FEL beam power to achieve the 10 MW beam power required for (10 kg-class) Lightcraft ETO propulsion. However, 100 kW beam FEL designs are being proposed by the Navy for prototyping and testing in FY 2011 and 2012. £ l!Q, U 1.E+OS-1----- ~ ---,---+-:,--------:----'=l'--..-.::::----f-- ._ i... ~ ,:! l .E+OA+----~e-------1-----=---1-----------1 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR 061ilCl.li.k W&& 8Ptl'l 23
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Official release, from the pursue collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 77 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.