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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 Lightcraft Air to Space Investigation One Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) mission already being investigated by the Air Force for high-power airborne laser systems is the focusing of their intense beam energy on enemy ballistic missiles over dwell times sufficient to heat missile materials to high temperature thus causing structural failure. Another BMD mission that involves high power airborne laser systems was exam in ed during this investigation (see Figure 15). This mission entails ballistic missile destruction above the atmosphere during the missile's unpowered descent phase of flight. In this case, it is envisioned that the high pulsed power within high-energy laser beams would first be used to rapidly examine each object within the incoming threat cloud and, based on each threat -object's response, discriminate warhead-carrying vehicles from lighter decoys and non threatening debris. Next the pulsed power within the high-energy laser beam would guide a Lightcraft to the warhead-carrying vehicles while accelerating the Lightcraft to the flight velocity needed for warhead veh icle destruction by kinetic energy kill. And intermittently during the trajectory, the laser illuminates the warhead vehicle instead of the Lightcraft for guidance updates and terminal semi-active seeker homing. Threats from space, other than ballistic missiles, were mentioned in the Rumsfeld 2001 Space Commission Report [27]. One threat to U.S. space assets specifically cited was microwave signal-jamming from relatively unsophisticated and inexpensive enemy satellites [28]. Eliminating such satellite threats has not been examined in detail, but they could be rapidly eliminated by air-to-space Lightcraft, if sufficiently precise azimuth and elevation information can be obtained to point Lightcraft lasers at the jammers. "Hit-to-kill" accuracy and high impact energy requires Lightcraft maneuvering such that ballistic missile intercept occurs at relatively small angles from a head-on collision course. Tables 4 and 5 show the influence of such angles, together with Lightcraft velocity and enemy ballistic missile velocity, on Lightcraft impact energy and required mass. It is seen in both tables that intercept angles up to 45° from head-on collision courses do not significantly influence Lightcraft impact energy or required mass; that high Lightcraft impact energies are achieved with relatively low masses (1.0 kg); and that required Lightcraft masses for relatively high impact energies (10 MJ) are very low for Lightcraft velocities in the 2 km/sec to 4 km/sec range. It is also seen that the interception of longer range ballistic missile threats results in higher collision energy for a given Lightcraft mass and speed. That is because the higher entry speed of longer range missiles contributes more collision velocity (target plus Lightcraft velocity component along the target velocity vector). This BMD air-to-space mission appears to be more favorable for Lightcraft than air-to ground/sea or air-to-air missions, which are not considered here because they are beyond the scope of this report. This mission results in higher altitude flight where atmospheric propagation losses of laser beams are lower, and in higher impact velocities for higher Lightcraft impact energy or lower mass. But like air-to-air missions, BMD would require semi-active terminal guidance using uncooled IR detectors and chemical rocket thrusters for end-game maneuvering to ensure hit-to-kill accuracy. It is therefore estimated that the air-to-space Lightcraft dry mass would be about the same as the air-to-air Lightcraft (approximately 2.0 kg). This particular Lightcraft UNCLASSIFIED//FOR 061ilCl.li.k W&& 8Ptl'l 33
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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.