NASA's Glenn Research Center in Ohio is looking into a whole new system of payload propulsion that uses lasers or microwaves to launch vehicles into orbit.

The objective is to reduce the cost of getting into space. The way this rocket works, it has a more energetic propulsive system than one where you have fuel and oxidizer that release energy

The biggest stumbling block is not technical, but financial. Startup costs to build the ground facility would be high, but supporters say overall launch costs would be sharply reduced.