Leik Myrabo
Leik N. Myrabo is an American aerospace engineer who helped pioneer beamed-energy propulsion and invented the lightcraft, a small aircraft powered by beams of energy such as lasers. He spent many years as a professor of aerospace engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and started the lightcraft program there.
Myrabo was one of the first researchers to demonstrate sustained laser-powered flight. Between the 1990s and 2000s, he and his team conducted more than 140 test flights at White Sands Missile Range using beam-powered prototypes. Early tests with a powerful CO2 laser reached altitudes up to about 233 feet, with other tests achieving rapid climbs using a 9-kilowatt laser.
He helped develop big ideas around beamed-energy propulsion, including LightPorts—ground- or space-based energy beaming to spacecraft—and the concept of orbital power stations to enable low-cost satellite launches and fast passenger travel. He presented these ideas in both technical and popular venues, and he co-authored the Lightcraft Flight Handbook (LTI-20) in 2009 with John Lewis.
Myrabo’s work also included international collaborations. He worked with Brazilian researchers on the Laser-Supported Directed Energy Air Spike (DEAS) to reduce drag on hypersonic models, with joint results in wind tunnels by 2005 and continued collaboration with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory. He also spent time at NASA facilities such as the Marshall Space Flight Center, contributing to the broader laser propulsion effort.
Beyond research, Myrabo helped promote the field. He founded Lightcraft Technologies, Inc. in Vermont to pursue experimental validation of beam-powered flight, and he partnered with senior Air Force scientists on propulsion projects. In 2003, he was elected the first president of the International Society for Beamed Energy Propulsion (ISBEP), a group aimed at fostering global collaboration in beamed-energy research. He highlighted the potential of cheaper energy beams and improved flight control to enable faster travel and new ways to reach space.
Earlier in his career, a NASA-sponsored study he led in 1983 outlined the idea of using beams to ionize air in front of a vehicle to generate thrust. Myrabo has often described laser-based propulsion as an idea with real promise, arguing that falling laser costs could make it commercially viable and transform aviation and space access.
On the personal side, Myrabo developed a lifelong interest in flying. He enjoyed model airplanes as a teenager, later explored drones and FPV flying, and has held leadership roles in aviation clubs and organizations, including the Eagle’s Eye FPV Club, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Academy of Model Aeronautics. He is known for connecting laboratory research to practical demonstrations and real-world tests.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:43 (CET).