http://www.lightcrafttechnologies.com/news.html November 2000 White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), NM Early in the morning of 2 October 2000 at the High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF), Lightcraft Technologies, Inc. (LTI) set a new world's altitude record of 233 feet (71 meters) for its 4.8 inch (12.2 cm) diameter laser boosted rocket - in a flight lasting 12.7 seconds. Although much of the 8:35 am flight was spent hovering at 230+ feet, the Lightcraft sustained no damage and will fly again. Besides setting the new altitude record, the craft demonstrated the longest ever laser-powered free flight and the greatest "air time" (i.e., launch-to-landing/recovery). LTI launched a total of seven vertical flights between 8:30 am and 11:30 am with three Lightcraft weighing less than 1.8 ounces (51 grams). Two of the flights by Lightcraft #3 reached 159 and 184 feet with the same propellant load! The record flights were powered by the 10 kW pulsed carbon dioxide laser named "PLVTS" by the organization that owns it: the Directorate for Applied Technology, Test and Simulation (DATTS). Even though PLVTS was suffering from an arcing or grounding problem that caused it to run erratically, the laser power was still adequate to propel the craft to record altitudes. These were the first ever vertical, free-flight tests to be performed without a 4 ft X 8 ft plywood "beam-stop" (normally suspended by a crane) to intercept stray laser energy that sometimes "spills" around the vehicle. The LTI flights were carried out with the cooperation of NORAD and WSMR range control to avoid illuminating low Earth orbital satellites. Twelve launch "windows" varying from 2.56 to 41.25 minutes in length were secured from NORAD. With the 233 ft. flight on October 2, LTI attained its objective of essentially doubling the previous altitude record of 128 feet-set on July 9, 1999, with an 11 cm diameter craft of similar design-under prior joint NASA/USAF sponsorship. In both records, the Lightcraft employed a plastic ablative propellant and was spin-stabilized to greater than 10,000 RPM. The 2 October 2000 record-breaking Lightcraft flights at WSMR were funded by a grant from the Foundation for International Non-governmental Development of Space (FINDS), a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting low cost access to space. With FINDS sponsorship, laser launch technology has been decidedly moved out of the exclusive realm of government-sponsored research into the commercial launch arena. Lightcraft Technologies attributes its successful flights to proprietary improvements in the design of both its launch stand and the Lightcraft vehicle itself. LTI has now set its sights squarely upon doubling its current altitude record again - to capture altitudes of 500 feet or beyond within the next 6 to 12 months.