Abstract
The design principles of a reactive-thrust laser system for minispacecraft are proposed for the first time. Based on these principles, an optical system has been developed for a laser-engine installation, using special optical systems such as optical turrets and optical hinges. A scenario is considered of an orbital maneuver of a minispacecraft with laser reactive thrust for removing objects of space debris from geostationary orbit. It is shown that a laser source with a power of 1 kW is required to remove an object of mass 200 kg from this orbit onto a special space tug. The minispacecraft can be also used for monitoring near-earth space, surveying large space stations, etc.
© 2014 Optical Society of America
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