Advanced solar and laser sail propulsion concepts for interstellar space travel

There are many systems engineering and integration issues that must be addressed before a successful interstellar mission using lightsails can be conducted. A hybrid approach of solar and laser sailing was investigated in this thesis. Analyses of various lightsail designs were used to define a baseline hybrid torus supporting a reflective sail with the payload supported by cables like a parachute sail. Further analyses showed that a torus distributed payload would reduce spacecraft mass by removing the cables and pod. An inflatable reflective optic was also studied for the laser sailing phase.; The net spacecraft Deltav achieved by solar sailing was determined to be too low for interstellar travel. Hence, laser sailing is required. Analysis results indicate that a 10 km diameter lightsail craft constructed using near term technologies could reach Alpha Centauri in approximately 55 years. However, this analysis assumed laser diode array scalability, state-of-the-art high temperature sail materials, and better pointing accuracy than is currently available.