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Aerospace
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Laser Propulsion Science and Technology (2nd Edition)
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Laser Propulsion Science and Technology (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Aerospace (ISSN 2226-4310). This special issue belongs to the section "Astronautics & Space Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 2017

Special Issue Editor

Dr. John Sinko

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Physics & Astronomy, St. Cloud State University, 720 4th Ave S., St. Cloud, MN 56301, USA
Interests: advanced propulsion; directed energy; laser ablation; laser-materials interactions; laser propulsion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Laser propulsion is an emerging field that promises breakthroughs for various unique propulsion needs if the special challenges of using lasers to produce impulses can be overcome. Some examples of such challenges include beam divergence, coupling with remote targets, heat accumulation, the physics of short-pulse laser–material interaction, and, broadly, the fundamental physics governing laser–material interactions, which is still incompletely understood.

Laser technology has advanced significantly in the past decade, with novel high-power lasers and the development of the science of massive laser arrays, which may support fielded laser propulsion missions and applications. Some examples of such applications include interplanetary propulsion, interstellar propulsion, laser thrusters, laser tractor beams, and laser removal of orbital debris.

This Special Issue of Aerospace will cover recent experimental, theoretical, and computational research on the use of lasers to produce thrust or impulse, focusing on the fundamental science of laser propulsion and related space technology applications.

The Editor of this Special Issue invites papers describing chemical, engineering, physics, or other practical issues of laser propulsion science and technology.

Dr. John Sinko
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Aerospace is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • beamed energy propulsion
  • debris removal
  • directed energy propulsion
  • laser ablation
  • laser arrays
  • laser debris removal
  • laser-electric propulsion
  • laser launch
  • laser momentum coupling
  • laser orbital debris removal
  • laser propellant
  • laser propulsion
  • laser sails
  • laser thermal coupling
  • laser thermal propulsion
  • laser thrusters
  • lightsails
  • microwave propulsion

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 9943 KiB  
Article
Research on Micro-Propulsion Performance of Laser Ablation ADN-Based Liquid Propellant Enhanced by Chemical Energy
by Luyun Jiang, Jifei Ye, Chentao Mao, Baosheng Du, Haichao Cui, Jianhui Han, Yongzan Zheng and Yanji Hong
Aerospace 2025, 12(2), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace12020149 - 16 Feb 2025
Viewed by 507
Abstract
The vigorous development of micro–nano satellites urgently requires satellite-borne propulsion systems as support. Pulsed laser ablation micro-propulsion can meet these high demands. Ammonium dinitramide (ADN), as a green monopropellant, can serve as the working substance for laser ablation. This work investigated the micro-propulsion [...] Read more.
The vigorous development of micro–nano satellites urgently requires satellite-borne propulsion systems as support. Pulsed laser ablation micro-propulsion can meet these high demands. Ammonium dinitramide (ADN), as a green monopropellant, can serve as the working substance for laser ablation. This work investigated the micro-propulsion performance of liquid propellants composed of ADN and water with different ADN mass fractions, aiming to clarify the enhancement effect of chemical energy. Through the single-pulse impulse measurement, the results show that the 70 wt.% ADN had a maximum specific impulse of 167.55 s, a 19% increase compared to H2O. The established semi-empirical model of the micro-propulsion performance fits well with the experimental data and can effectively explain the variations in the patterns of the propulsion’s parameters. The chemical energy’s actual rate of contribution to the increase in the kinetic energy was positively correlated with the ADN’s mass fraction and negatively correlated with the laser energy, with an actual contribution rate of 36% for 70 wt.% ADN at a laser energy of 60 mJ. Furthermore, based on the relationship between the ablation efficiency, chemical-specific energy, and laser specific energy, it was found that the ablation efficiency can be improved by increasing the chemical specific energy and reducing the laser specific energy while ensuring the breakdown. This work provides a scientific approach to quantitatively analyze the enhancement in the propulsion’s performance by chemical energy in laser micro-ablation, which is expected to be extended to other energetic liquid propellants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Propulsion Science and Technology (2nd Edition))
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20 pages, 7012 KiB  
Article
Experimental and Numerical Study on the Plasma-Laser-Induced Ignition of Strut Stabilizer at Different Locations
by Xin Jia, Bin Hu, Wei Zhao, Wen Zeng, Jiangbo Peng and Qingjun Zhao
Aerospace 2024, 11(8), 652; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace11080652 - 11 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1084
Abstract
The minimum ignition equivalence ratio of the strut stabilizer is an important parameter in the design of integrated afterburners. The ignition location significantly affects the ignition equivalence ratio and flame propagation, and therefore, it should be deeply studied. The ignition equivalence ratio and [...] Read more.
The minimum ignition equivalence ratio of the strut stabilizer is an important parameter in the design of integrated afterburners. The ignition location significantly affects the ignition equivalence ratio and flame propagation, and therefore, it should be deeply studied. The ignition equivalence ratio and flame propagation at different axial ignition locations downstream of the strut stabilizer are studied in this paper. When the ignition distance is approximately the bluff body trailing edge width, a lower ignition equivalence ratio is required for ignition, and the flame propagates faster through the entire combustion chamber. For different ignition locations, the generated flame kernel at different locations all first propagates to the shear layer. Subsequently, the unilateral flame rapidly extends, ultimately igniting the entire combustion chamber. The flame propagation trajectory depends on the ignition location controlled by the non-reacting flow field and the distribution of kerosene concentration. The flame propagation trajectory mainly includes three paths: (1) the flame kernel is directly downstream the shear layer when the ignition location is close to the tail edge of the stabilizer, (2) the flame propagates upstream into the shear layer in a U-shape when the ignition location is far from the stabilizer but still in the recirculation zone, and (3) the flame propagates upstream into the recirculation zone and shear layer in a U-shape when the ignition location is outside the recirculation zone. In addition, the time for flame propagation to the shear layer is directly related to the ignition performance when the ignition location is within the recirculation zone. If the flame reaches the shear layer in a longer time, there will be more energy loss during the flame propagation process, and the ignition performance will deteriorate. The speed of the flame-trailing edge extension is directly related to the ignition fuel-air ratio, and the downstream extension of the flame is mainly affected by the turbulence velocity in the shear layer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Propulsion Science and Technology (2nd Edition))
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