What happened to ground based laser propulsion? Where you heat up the propellant with a ground based laser during takeoff and then use the same laser source to

What happened to ground based laser propulsion? Where you heat up the propellant with a ground based laser during takeoff and then use the same laser source to power your ship is space? I remember a few videos of launching small rockets with a ground based laser from some twenty years ago. Haven’t laser technology improved since?