Space rocket engine on the base of the reactor-pumped laser for space applications

Andrey V. Gulevich; Peter P. Dyachenko; Oleg F. Kukharchuk; Anatoly V. Zrodnikov

doi:10.1117/12.482048

13 September 2002 Space rocket engine on the base of the reactor-pumped laser for space applications

Andrey V. Gulevich, Peter P. Dyachenko, Oleg F. Kukharchuk, Anatoly V. Zrodnikov

Proceedings Volume 4760, High-Power Laser Ablation IV; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.482048
Event: International Symposium on High-Power Laser Ablation 2002, 2002, Taos, New Mexico, United States

Abstract

In this report the concept of vehicle-based reactor-laser engine for long time interplanetary and interorbital (LEO to GEO) flights is proposed. Reactor-pumped lasers offer the perspective way to create on the base of modern nuclear and lasers technologies the low mass and high energy density, repetitively pulsed vehicle-based laser of average power 100 kW. Nowadays the efficiency of nuclear-to-optical energy conversion reached the value of 2-3%. The demo model of reactor-pumped laser facility is under construction in Institute for Physics and Power Engineering (Obninsk, Russia). It enable us to hope that using high power laser on board of the vehicle could make the effective space laser engine possible. Such engine may provide the high specific impulse ~ 1000 - 2000 s with the thrust up to 10 - 100 n. Some calculation results of the characteristics of vehicle-based reactor-laser thermal engine concept are also presented.

Citation Download Citation

Andrey V. Gulevich, Peter P. Dyachenko, Oleg F. Kukharchuk, and Anatoly V. Zrodnikov "Space rocket engine on the base of the reactor-pumped laser for space applications", Proc. SPIE 4760, High-Power Laser Ablation IV, (13 September 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.482048

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