Free-flight and tracking experiments of a multi-parabola laser propulsion vehicle

Masayuki Takahashi; Yuya Hayadate; Koichi Mori; Akihiro Hayakawa

doi:10.1038/s41598-025-00429-0

Free-flight and tracking experiments of a multi-parabola laser propulsion vehicle

Sci Rep. 2025 May 3;15(1):15513. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00429-0.

Authors

Masayuki Takahashi¹, Yuya Hayadate², Koichi Mori³, Akihiro Hayakawa⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8579, Japan. masayuki.takahashi.c8@tohoku.ac.jp.
² Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8579, Japan.
³ Department of Aerospace and Marine Engineering, Osaka Metropolitan University, Sakai, 599-8531, Japan.
⁴ Institute of Fluid Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.

Abstract

A free-flight experiment involving a multi-parabola laser propulsion vehicle was conducted using repetitive laser pulses at a repetition frequency of 50 Hz and an energy of 4.93 J per pulse. Observations made with a camera indicated that the vehicle achieved a maximum altitude of 110 mm; however, it deviated from the laser beam line due to initial misalignment of the laser setup. To improve flight stability, we developed a tracking system to monitor the vehicle's motion and control the laser irradiation position. Performance requirements were assessed based on the free-flight experiment data, revealing that the vehicle attained a maximum translational speed of 0.08 m/s before deviation occurred. Our tracking system was evaluated to have a trackable speed of 0.09 m/s, meeting the performance requirements for free flight and capable of stabilizing the repetitive pulse flight of a laser propulsion vehicle.

Keywords: Free flight; Laser propulsion; Tracking system.

Grants and funding

JP24K07879/JSPS KAKENHI