Reviews of the propulsive characteristics study on liquid propellants for laser propulsion

For future laser propulsion missions in space, the choice of propellant will be critical for designing appropriate mission parameters. Recent research on liquid propellants for laser propulsion has been intensive and international in scope. The achievements in the study on the propulsive characteristics of liquid propellants were commented. The outstanding unsolved problems were pointed out with the suggestion of using minor sized water droplets as propellants. Study results indicate that atomized water droplets and liquid films have good propulsive characteristics.