NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Dolores Beasley/Erica Hupp
NASA Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202.358.1753)

Kim Newton
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256.544.0034)

Sally Harrington
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio
(Phone: 216.433.2037)

News release: 05-157


Solar sail propulsion uses the sun's energy to propel spacecraft through space, much the way wind pushes sailboats across water. The technology requires bouncing sunlight off giant, reflective sails made of lightweight material. The continuous sunlight pressure provides sufficient thrust for a spacecraft to travel in space and perform certain maneuvers, such as hovering at a fixed point, which would require too much propellant for conventional rocket systems. In this video animation, a solar sail propulsion concept, designed by ATK Space Systems of Goleta, Calif., is deployed in flight. ATK Space Systems is a contractor for the In-Space Propulsion Technology Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Deployment of the sail system, as illustrated in the animation, includes extension of the technology's coilable boom system -- the support structure for the sail material – and the "quadrants" of the solar sail material itself. (NASA)

+ High-resolution QuickTime (35.8 MB)
+ Low-resolution QuickTime (18.8 MB)

A 20-meter solar sail system, developed by ATK Space Systems of Goleta, Calif., underwent testing in 2005 at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook facility in Sandusky, Ohio. The tests were performed in Plum Brook's Space Power Facility -- the world's largest space environment simulation chamber. NASA and ATK engineers deployed the 20-meter system in ambient or Earth-like conditions in April 2005. The system includes four sail quadrants supported by a series of coilable booms, which are extended via remote control from a central stowage container about the size of a suitcase. Vacuum chamber testing -- to simulate the vacuum and temperature extremes of space -- began in May. The deployment, part of a series of tests ending in July, is a critical milestone in the development of solar sail propulsion technology that could lead to more ambitious inner Solar System robotic exploration. A second company, L'Garde Inc., of Tustin, Calif., completed testing of its 20-meter solar sail system at the Plum Brook facility in June.

+ High-resolution QuickTime (28.5 MB)
+ Low-resolution QuickTime (13.5 MB)

Solar sail propulsion uses the Sun's energy to propel spacecraft through space, much the way wind pushes sailboats across water. The technology requires bouncing a stream of solar energy particles called photons off giant, reflective sails of lightweight material. The continuous pressure of the Sun's light provides sufficient thrust for a spacecraft to travel in space and perform certain maneuvers, such as hovering at a fixed point in space, which would require too much propellant for conventional rocket systems. In this video animation, a solar sail propulsion concept, designed by L'Garde, Inc., of Tustin, Calif., is initiated in flight. L'Garde is a contractor for the In-Space Propulsion Technology Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Deployment of the sail system in space, as illustrated in the animation, includes extension of the technology's inflatable boom system -- the support structure for the sail material -- and the "quadrants" of the solar sail material itself. (NASA) QuickTime animation, 6.0 MB

Solar sail propulsion uses the Sun's energy to propel spacecraft through space, much the way wind pushes sailboats across water. The technology requires bouncing a stream of solar energy particles called photons off giant, reflective sails of lightweight material. The continuous pressure of the Sun's light provides sufficient thrust for a spacecraft to travel in space and perform certain maneuvers, such as hovering at a fixed point in space, which would require too much propellant for conventional rocket systems. In this video animation, a solar sail propulsion concept, designed by ATK Space Systems of Goleta, Calif., is initiated in flight. ATK Space Systems-Goleta is a contractor for the In-Space Propulsion Technology Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Deployment of the sail system, as illustrated in the animation, includes extension of the technology's coilable boom system -- the support structure for the sail material -- and "quadrants" of the solar sail material itself. (NASA) QuickTime animation, 5.7 MB


+ News Release
+ Photos
+ Solar Sail Propulsion Fact Sheet (PDF, 137 Kb)