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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.
“Sea”14 pages
UNCLASSIFIED/;'POR: OPPICIAE USE 014Lf An outline of the conceptual design features of the proposed 10 MW electron gun-driven CO2/gas mixture laser is [29]: • Scalability of total beam output power, beam combining concept. • Power oscillator or master oscillator-power amplifier (MOPA) design. • Unstable optical resonator cavity with grating and rotating mirrors beam-combine techniques. • Flow and gas handling system with blow down and exhaust to the atmosphere. • Acoustics suppression with expansion horn downstream and anode muffler. In this concept there are four separate laser transmitters each generating 2.5 MW output beams that are combined into a single 10 MW output beam. The oscillator parameters for each beam transmitter are [29]: • Energy loading, Ep: Ep = 300 J (higher loadings at reduced gas temperature); gain volume= 0.27 m3 (x 4 lasers); A to K = 0.3 m; gain length = 3 m. • Specific laser output = 65 J/1. • Estimated extraction efficiency = 20%. • Pulse repetition rate: 125 Hz@ 20μs. • Laser power, P = 2.5 MW/beam x 4 beams = 10 MW. • Laser energy per pulse = 18 kJ/beam x 4 beams = 72 kJ. • Output wavelengths: 10.6 μm, 10.2 μm, 9.6 μm, and 9.3 μm (mixed). • Gas mixture ratio (for N2:CO2:H2): 3:1:0.08. • Gas pressure = 1.013 x 105 Pa (or 1 atmosphere). • Flash factor = 1.3. The optical resonator cavity and optical components specifications are [29]: • Resonator type: confocal unstable with rotating mirrors beam combining. • Magnification, M = 4. • Cavity length, L = 36.5 m. • Equivalent Fresnel number = 3.4. • Cavity end mirrors radius of curvature: RMirrorl = 97.3 m (concave), RMirror2 = 24.3 m (convex). • Gain cell: volume = 0.3 x 0.3 x 3.0 m3, length = 3 m. • Beam combine mirrors: 75 x 75 cm 2 flat (30 x 30 cm 2 apertures) @ "' = 10.59 μm. • Low pressure hot cell: 0.3 to 0.5 GHz suppression near line center. • Output scraper mirror: D = 0.075 m (taped). See Figure 16 and Figure 17 for schematics of the power oscillator optics and the MOPA. The laser operation requirements for the gas flow system are (see Figure 18) [29]: • Flow System: blow down. • Gain Section • Cross-section, A = 0.3 m x 3.0 m = 0.9 m2. • Volume, V = 0.3 m x 0.3 m x 3.0 m = 0.27 m 3 • • Flow speed, u = 50 m/sec (@ 125 Hz & flash factor= 1.3). • Dynamic pressure, ~P = 2000 Pa (or 0.02 atmospheres). • Mass flow rate, Q = 60 kg/sec per module (45 m 3/sec std). • Run time, t = 300 seconds UNCLASSIFIED'I i'FAA: 061i1Clali.k W&& 8PtLY 43
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Official release, from the pursue 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.