NanoSail D-2. Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by the Radiation of the Sun. LightSail-A. These are the names of the world's first spacecraft to successfully deploy solar sails in space, ushering in a new capability for small spacecraft propulsion. Solar sails, as the name implies, use solar radiation pressure (sunlight) reflected from a large, thin sail for propulsion. They evoke the same romantic images as the sailing ships of yore, and one day soon may propel robotic spacecraft all over the inner Solar System and beyond.
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