Test on Laser Proves Power to Destroy a Missile in Space

The Pentagon said Friday that its Star Wars researchers produced a chemical laser beam with enough power to confirm that such a laser could destroy a missile in space.

The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization, which runs the SDI program in the Pentagon, called the test a major success for the Alpha chemical laser project.

The Alpha laser, built for the Pentagon by TRW Inc. at a facility near San Juan Capistrano, gets its light beams from the combustion of fuels similar to those used in rocket engines. The goal is to show that a chemical laser could be placed in space and used to destroy long-range nuclear missiles in flight.

The test was performed May 16. A Pentagon announcement said SDI scientists had spent the past month analyzing the test data to determine the performance of the laser. The SDI office said no officials were available to provide additional details.

John Pike, head of space policy for the Federation of American Scientists, said in an interview that after demonstrating that the Alpha laser can produce a beam of adequate power, the SDI scientists face the tougher challenge of connecting the laser to a mirror which would direct the beam at a target.

The Alpha chemical laser is among several SDI research efforts that are not scheduled to be part of an initial strategic defense system. President Bush’s decision earlier this year to scale back the SDI system meant keeping Alpha and other laser projects in the research phase for the rest of the decade.