Artificial guide stars are becoming increasingly important in adaptive optical applications such as space situational awareness, optical satellite communications, and astronomy. The lasers typically used to generate guide stars in the sodium (Na) layer at 100 km altitude are tuned to 589 nm and have output powers around 20 W. However, applications are demanding brighter guide stars and the inclusion of advanced features such as pulsed lasers for pulse tracking [1] and UV lasers to generate multi-colour guide star for full aberration correction [2]. Our approach is based on laser action in diamond that is pumped using a mature Ybfiber laser technology. The diamond Raman laser generates a Stokes wavelength in the near infrared which is then converted into the visible spectrum (e.g., 589 nm) using intracavity second-harmonic generation [3]. In this paper, we provide a summary of our research in diamond guide star lasers with particular attention on aspects geared towards boosting guide star performance and features.