Switching on the microwave transmitter would make the Lightcraft disappear in less than an eye blink. The microwaves would be focused by the internal reflector to heat the air on one side or the other of the craft and push it in the opposite direction. Climbing a good altitude, beyond the speed of sound, where you use the magnetohydrodynamic drive, the craft tilts from flying edgewise to flying flat into the air stream, but for a reason. The microwaves are reflected forward to create a superhot bubble of air above the craft and form an air spike that acts as the nose cone as the Lightcraft accelerates to 25 times the speed of sound. Even better, when the load is properly balanced, the craft sails through the air without leaving a shock wave and virtually no supersonic wake.
Water is used by the craft to cool the rectennas and as a propellant in the last stages of ascent.
Myrabo points out that most of the technologies or principles have been demonstrated. At the Moon, the Lightcraft would zoom down a series of ring-shaped electromagnets that would slow the craft, or it could accelerate another Lightcraft for the return to Earth. For more information, contact David Harris at Marshall Space Flight Center.