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I know the concept of solar sail, but I wanted to know if it is possible to create thrust by using a laser that is on a satellite. I mean that the satellite uses a powerful laser as a thruster.

And if it is possible does it have been tested already ?

StarBucK
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  • It's called a photon drive. http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/74013/rocket-propelled-by-a-giant-monochromatic-laser http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/104970/can-relativistic-momentum-photons-be-used-as-propulsion-for-free-after-the-i and there is the option of using a solar sail (which has actually been done a distinction not shared by photon drives) http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/162770/how-can-solar-sails-be-maneuvered. On a practical level photon drives take the pros and cons of an ion drive to an extreme: no need for propellant, but too little thrust. – dmckee --- ex-moderator kitten Feb 21 '17 at 01:42

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With regard to the first part of your question "is it possible to create thrust using a laser . . .?", the answer is "in principle, yes, but in practice, no not even remotely practical".

A laser attached to a satellite would, in principle, carry momentum away with the light that was ejected. Conservation of momentum indicates that there would be some recoil from this. The physics governing this is all the same basic physics as conventional rocket thrust.

In practice, even the most powerful lasers ever built overheat and have all sorts of other technical problems long before they ever generate any detectable amount of thrust. A laser that generated enough thrust to even push itself off the table would be a milestone development. A "thrusting laser" for propulsion is still an article of science fiction.

As far as any such laser propulsion having ever been tested - I doubt very seriously that any government or business would waste money on trying to build something so impractical.

Of course, you have your "fringe science" claims such as the M-drive, but once again these contraptions are universally regarded by physicists as bogus/junk/crackpot science.

the_photon
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