Zenith Star satellite 3D model

Zenith Star was a proposed experimental space-based anti-ballistic-missile laser satellite developed under the Strategic Defense Initiative. The satellite was built around a 1 megawatt hydrogen fluoride laser, in which ethylene, nitrogen trifluoride, and hydrogen were combusted to produce excited hydrogen fluoride gas, which was lased inside an optical resonator. This superheated gas was then expelled through four exhaust doors on the aft module. Zenith Star itself was purely experimental, but would have been followed with a larger operational system to shoot down enemy ICBMs.

The satellite was divided into two modules. The forward module contained the large mirror assembly, targetting sensors, attitude control system, electrical power systems, communications, and a scientific payload. The aft module was mostly devoted to the chemical laser system. The baseline plan was to launch these modules separately aboard Titan IV rockets, but development of a new purpose-built heavy lifter capable of carrying it in a single flight (such as the Barbarian or Shuttle-C rockets) was also considered

Many details of Zenith Star's design are still classified, so elements of this model are speculative interpretations of the limited reference material available

All materials and textures are packed into the .blend file. Geometry nodes, instancing, and modifiers have been used to reduce file size and simplify editing