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Solar sails get their propulsion from the Sun, so they don't need to carry propellant, but they come with their own challenges.
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Solar sails get their propulsion from the Sun, so they don't need to carry propellant, but they come with their own challenges. A sail has a large surface area but a low mass, which creates a huge moment of inertia and makes it difficult to control, especially with reaction wheels. A team of engineers has developed a reflectivity control device, where thin membranes on the sail change their reflectivity, producing less force and allowing the sail to change direction.
Attitude Control of Solar Sail with Reflectivity Control Devices
Abstract page for arXiv paper 2505.19865: Attitude Control of Solar Sail with Reflectivity Control Devices
arXiv.org (arxiv.org)
