This large surface area is essential for capturing enough ... will provide invaluable data for future missions. Testing the ...

As the ACS3 spacecraft orbits Earth, it's large surface area means it reflects enough sunlight to be seen from the ground. Under some conditions, the solar sail demonstrator could even appear as ...

At full height the sails will reach 164 ft and will also be covered in solar panels to help to power the ship’s on-board electricity. Preliminary estimates indicate that these sails could reduce ...

And we believe it will fundamentally advance the technology of spaceflight. Solar sailing is elegant not only in concept but also in its efficiency. Once in orbit, there’s no fuel needed.

Novelists, poets, and scientists have envisioned spacecraft powered by solar sails since the 1600s. But now this fanciful concept is actually entering into reality.