Space-Based Chemical Lasers in Strategic Defense

摘要

The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) has made significantprogress in developing Space-Based chemical Laser (SBL) technologies and in studying the SBL's global defense capability. In this mission, a constellation of several orbiting laser platforms provides continuous global defense by intercepting threatening missiles in their boost phase, including short range ballistic missiles (SRBMs). An optional smaller constellation provies defense against launches from the low and mid-latitude regions. In addition, SBLs have utility in other important related missions such as surveillance, air defense and discrimination. The hardware necessary to build such a system has been developed to the point where it is mature and ready for demonstration in space. Advances have been made in each of the following major areas of the SBL: Laser device; optics/beam control; beam pointing; ATP (acquisition, tracking and pointing); uncooled optics; and laser lethality. Integration of the key laser and beam control technologies is now occurring in the ground-based ALI experiment and a space demonstration experiment, Star LITE, is in the planning and concept development phase.