抄録
Applicability of laser propulsion to orbital transfer vehicle, LOTV (=Laser Orbital Transfer Vehicle) was investigated based on experimental laser-plasma characterization and theoretical estimation. A laser intensity dependence of specific impulse, a basic characteristic of a propulsion system was measured. The results were used to estimate the size of the laser required to an LOTV system. A 10-ton class LOTV system was characterized in terms of transfer periods, laser power, pulse repetition rate and propellant size to show that a primary performance of the system is a realistic one.
