Lightcraft Technologies, Inc. (LTI), of Bennington, Vermont, successfully flew its 4.8-inch- (12.2-centimeter-) diameter laser-boosted rocket last month. The small, futuristic hardware rode a powerful beam of light generated from the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
A U.S. Army 10-kilowatt pulsed carbon dioxide laser sent the Lightcraft soaring to 233 feet (71 meters) in a flight lasting 12.7 seconds. The test shot at the semi-hush-hush White Sands facility took place early October 2.
Air time
"We were very pleased with the Lightcraft's performance. It worked well. I know we can double the altitude on the next set of tests," said Leik Myrabo, chief executive officer for Lightcraft Technologies, and inventor of the laser-propelled craft.
"Every time we go out we're going to try and double the altitude. We need six more doublings to get to the edge of space," LTI's Myrabo told SPACE.com.
LTI is on track and committed to carry out additional Lightcraft test flights early next year, Myrabo said.
The propulsion happens when beamed laser energy strikes a parabolic condensing reflector mounted on the bottom of the Lightcraft. This area is lined with a thin coat of special plastic that ablates when hit by the laser pulses, thrusting the Lightcraft upward.
Multiple milestones
Besides setting the new altitude record, the Lightcraft demonstrated the longest-ever laser-powered free flight and the greatest "air time" -- flight between liftoff and landing.
A total of seven vertical flights were carried out with three Lightcraft weighing less than 1.8 ounces (51 grams).
Another milestone was also achieved.
For the first time, in cooperation with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the laser beam on which the Lightcraft rode was sent straight up into space. The "open-air" laser blasts were done during specific launch windows to avoid blinding
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