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 O14Lf Chapter 4: Summary of Multi-Megawatt Laser Study for Lightcraft Propulsion Applications SUMMARY OF LASER STUDY PERFORMED BY TEXTRON SYSTEMS In 2002, V. Hasson (TEXTRON Systems Corporation) conducted a study of candidate multi-megawatt laser systems for laser Lightcraft propulsion [29]. Candidate high-power/high-energy lasers identified in the study: • Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Laser: technical issues include large wavelength and atmospheric absorption of the laser beam. • Carbon Monoxide (CO) Laser: technical issues include large wavelength, atmospheric absorption of the laser beam, and toxicity of the lasing fuel (CO gas). • Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) or Deuterium Fluoride (DF) Laser: technical issues include atmospheric absorption of the laser beam, corrosive lasing fuel chemicals, pulse energy, running cost, and beam quality. • Chemical Oxygen-Iodine Laser (COIL): technical issues include fuel chemicals, pulse energy, and running costs. • Bulk Slab Solid-State Laser (BSSSL): technical issues include cost, average power, and run duration. The first four gas dynamic and chemical laser candidates have already demonstrated megawatt-class average beam output power. The study then reviewed the development, testing and operational legacy of the first candidate laser technology, which included a review of the various system architectures that use other gas mixtures combined with CO2. The study recommended a new design for a 10 MW (beam output power) electron gun-driven CO2/gas mixture laser because this technology does not require additional R&D and can be implemented now. The other gases selected for the lasing fuel are N2 and H2, which, in combination with CO2, offer superior performance over systems using helium. However, very recent technologically disruptive innovations led to the 10-fold increase in the beam output power of bulk slab SSLs and their newly emergent solid-state cousin, called high-power fiber lasers, which has made these devices more competitive with high-power chemical and gas dynamic lasers on the basis of average beam power, peak beam power, electrical wall plug and optical efficiencies, cost, complexity, mass, and size. Free-electron lasers are another class of laser technology that was not reviewed by Hasson, but recent technological innovations are accelerating their development to the point where their present average beam output power of 20 kW will be increased to 100 kW or higher within the next 12 to 24 months following the publication of this report. The output beams of several of these laser devices can be optically combined to produce a single beam with megawatt-class average output power. It is for this reason that we will summarize their technology in Summary of Emergent High-Power Solid-State and Free-Electron Laser Technologies section. UNCLASSIFIED,<,<FOA QFFISIAL HSI!! 8HLY 42
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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.