Application direction of laser propulsion technology

With the continuous improvement of laser energy and the rapid development of space technology, people pay more and more attention to the research of laser propulsion. At present, the most widely used chemical rocket engine has a theoretical maximum temperature of 4000~5000K, and the oxidant in fuel has a large molecular weight, and the upper limit of specific thrust is only 4000 ~ 5000 N s/kg. Laser propulsion can produce high temperature of 10000~2000K, and the molecular weight of the propellant is small, and the specific thrust can reach 20000 n s/kg. Because laser propulsion is reliable for long-distance transmission of energy by land-based or space-based lasers, it can increase the payload of aircraft. In addition, laser propulsion has the advantage of no air pollution.

So far, people are mainly interested in studying the application of laser propulsion, a launch system, in the low-orbit flight of small satellites around the earth and the rapid deployment of many lighter loads (such as military intelligence gathering satellites) in different orbits. In addition, laser propulsion can also be applied to satellite attitude adjustment and space debris removal.