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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. 9 …Dual or triple junction GaAs solar cells that give 18% conversion efficiency at end of life…
  • p. 21 …estimated launch costs are $20/kg to $600/kg of payload (not including life cycle and…
  • p. 28 …LIFE CYCLE OF LIGHTCRAFT SYSTEM Froning and Davis 26 found that ground-based laser costs comprised…
  • p. 51 …Note that this final cost estimate excludes the operations, life-cycle, and maintenance costs that are…
  • p. 66 …This figure was based on operations, life-cycle, and maintenance costs plus the cost of using…
  • p. 72 …600 per kg of payload, not including life-cycle and recurring launch operations costs. The entire…
UNCLASSIFIED//P8"1 8PPU!lit.L 1!191!! 8HLY
Froning and Davis [26] also determined that the ground-based laser selected (le = 1.62
μm, 10 MW radiated power, 10 m diameter aperture) would enable a Lightcra~ takeoff
mass of 8 kg and Lightcraft propellant mass of 4 kg. Therefore, this would allow
approximately 4 kg of mass to be placed into orbit with the selected ground-based
laser. And vehicle synthesis work determined that the remaining masses for the
Lightcraft airframe, propulsion, and control systems would be 0.63 kg, 0.46 kg, and
0.45 kg, respectively, together with a 30 percent contingency (of 0.47 kg).
/<3)
Takeoff Mass= 8.0 kg
Frontal Area = .096 m1
Takeoff Mass= 4.0 kg
Frontal Arca= 0.78 ml
/
Takeoff Mass= 8.0 kg
Frontal Ana = .096 m2
1.00
.001 0
(1)
20
Half-Apex Arigle of Fore body (degrees)
30
Figure 9. Lightcraft Vehicle Evolution (in 3 steps) [261.
Froning and Davis [26] further indicated that small COTS chemical propulsion systems,
with sufficient thrust, would be about a factor of 7 to 12 heavier than those needed to
meet Lightcraft orbit circularization needs. However, such mass reductions were
20
UNCLASSIFIED//F&~ &FFI&I.«11! 1!181! &••1:Y

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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.