Solar sails, powered only by light, could help us explore the furthest corners of our galaxy
Solar sails use light to move just like sailboats use wind.
Eliminating the need for rocket thrusters to position the satellite or spacecraft, solar sails can be much smaller and lighter. The Planetary Society's LightSail is about the size of a loaf of bread.
But its sail, which deploys once it's in space, stretches 344 square feet.
Source: The Planetary Society
Their light weight could allow solar sail-powered spacecraft to carry heavier payloads, like bigger cameras or more monitoring equipment.
Since they can propel themselves with limitless energy, solar sail-powered satellites could hover over a specific part of the planet, essentially following any orbit they want.
The ESA is looking into using solar sail satellites to monitor the climate in tough-to-measure places like the Arctic or Antarctic.
Source: ESA
The Planetary Society's LightSail successfully deployed its solar sail in space last year, and the satellite burned up upon reentry after 25 days of testing in low-Earth orbit.
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The satellite took a selfie of its deployed solar sail.
Source: The Planetary Society
The Society plans to launch LightSail 2 later this year aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. CEO Bill Nye says the little light-powered satellites could make spaceflight significantly cheaper.
Sources: YouTube, The Planetary Society
Since they can get power anywhere, we could use solar sails to take spacecraft to distant worlds we can't explore with current technology.
Souce: Space.com
Solar sails' biggest potential lies in their ability to visit the farthest depths of the galaxy, where we've never reached before. Bon voyage.
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