Nebula Public Library

The Light Touch2 concept proposes the use of laser ablation to change the orbital velocity of a 4m, 130 ton, asteroid by 1m/s in less than 3 years A laser beam is used to sublimate part of the asteroid material and generate a low and continuous thrust. This study demonstrates how to implement this concept on a medium class interplanetary spacecraft, here called AdAM (Asteroid Ablation Mission).
Methodology