In 2003, engineers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center tested a dual-pulse laser ignition system for rocket engines on the ground, as documented in the NASA Technical Reports Server study, Evaluation and Characterization Study of Dual Pulse Laser-Induced Spark (DPLIS) for Rocket Engine Ignition System Application (NTRS ID 20030067733). The work examined whether laser sparks could provide a practical ignition method for rocket propellants. Separate microgravity experiments later examined how ignition and flame spread over solid fuels changed when buoyancy was greatly reduced, as shown in Localized Ignition and Subsequent Flame Spread Over Solid Fuels in Microgravity, a NIST-affiliated study archived on the NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS ID 20040053565).
NASA Marshall tested dual-pulse laser ignition for rocket engines in 2003
