However, DE-STARLITE, being a much smaller and less expensive system, is the more practical option. Zhang and his colleagues claim that if DE-STAR had a 330-feet-wide phased laser array, it could divert volatile-laden asteroids 330 feet in diameter by initiating engagement at about two million miles. The main challenge with building a full DE-STAR is the necessary scale to be effective,' Qicheng Zhang of the University of California, Santa Barbara, one of the authors of the project, told.

'Generally speaking, the technology is available today. (b) Visualization of a laser beam with relevant physical phenomenon included at a flux of about 10 MW/m2. (a) Concept diagram of an orbiting DE-STAR engaged in multiple tasks including asteroid diversion, composition analysis, and long-range spacecraft power and propulsion. Currently, high-powered lasers deliver sufficient energy density to melt and vaporize any known material. The system should be capable of projecting a laser at a distant asteroid with sufficient flux to heat a spot on the surface and vaporize solid rock.

This can be accomplished by lasers deployed on spacecraft stationed near the asteroid. They emphasize that vaporization on the surface of an object continually ejects vaporized material, creating a reactionary force that pushes the object into a new path.

There is also a much smaller, though similar system being considered, called DE-STARLITE, that could travel alongside the target, slowly deflecting it from nearby over a long period.Īccording to the authors of these proposals, their goal was to create an orbital planetary defense system capable of heating the surface of potentially hazardous objects to the point of vaporization. The project, named DE-STAR (Directed Energy System for Targeting of Asteroids and exploRation), envisions a large phased-array laser in Earth orbit to deflect asteroids, comets, and other NEOs endangering the planet.

Space engineers star system asteroids