Solar Sailing

Solar sail technology harnesses the momentum of photons from sunlight to generate continuous, fuel-free propulsion using large, ultra-thin reflective membranes—often made of aluminized Mylar or Kapton—deployed in space.

The force imparted is extremely small, on the order of micronewtons per square meter, but it accumulates over time, enabling gradual acceleration suitable for deep-space missions.

Key engineering challenges include lightweight structural support, precise attitude control using reflective panels or tip vanes, and resistance to micrometeoroid damage.

Real-world demonstrations include JAXA’s IKAROS (2010), the first interplanetary solar sail, which successfully traveled toward Venus using a 14-meter square sail, and The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 (2019), which proved orbit-raising capability in low Earth orbit with a 32-square-meter sail.

NASA’s upcoming NEA Scout mission also plans to use solar sail propulsion to rendezvous with a near-Earth asteroid, highlighting the growing role of this technology in cost-efficient, long-duration space exploration.