Transfers from Earth to LEO and LEO to interplanetary space using lasers

Claude R. Phipps (1) , Christophe Bonnal (2) , Frédéric Masson (2) , Michel Boustié (3, 4) , Laurent Berthe (5) , Matthieu Schneider (5) , Sophie D Baton (6) , Erik Brambrink (6) , Jean Marc Chevalier (7) , Laurent Videau (8, 7, 9) , Séverine A.E. Boyer (10)

1 Photonic Associates
2 CNES - Centre National d'Études Spatiales [Toulouse]
3 PPrime [Poitiers] - Institut Pprime [UPR 3346]
4 Département FTC - Département Fluides, Thermique et Combustion [Institut Pprime]
5 PIMM - Laboratoire Procédés et Ingénierie en Mécanique et Matériaux
6 LULI - Laboratoire pour l'utilisation des lasers intenses
7 CESTA - Centre d'études scientifiques et techniques d'Aquitaine
8 LDG - Laboratoire de Détection et de Géophysique (CEA)
9 DAM/DIF - DAM Île-de-France
10 CEMEF - Centre de Mise en Forme des Matériaux

New data on some materials at 80ps pulse duration and 1057 nm wavelength give us the option of proportionally combining them to obtain arbitrary values between 35 (aluminum) and 800 N/MW (POM, polyoxymethylene) for momentum coupling coefficient Cm. Laser ablation physics lets us transfer to LEO from Earth, or to interplanetary space using repetitively pulsed lasers and Cm values appropriate for each mission. We discuss practical results for lifting small payloads from Earth to LEO, and space missions such as a cis-Mars orbit with associated laser system parameters.

Mots clés: Laser ablation Laser-produced plasma Ultrashort lasers Laser space propulsion

Domaines: Sciences de l'ingénieur [physics]

Claude R. Phipps, Christophe Bonnal, Frédéric Masson, Michel Boustié, Laurent Berthe, et al.. Transfers from Earth to LEO and LEO to interplanetary space using lasers. Acta Astronautica, 2018, 146, pp.92-102. ⟨10.1016/j.actaastro.2018.02.018⟩. ⟨hal-02162240⟩