A METHOD FOR SOLAR SAILING IN A LOW EARTH ORBIT

Abstract It has been widely accepted that solar sails are incapable of operating in low earth orbits due to drag from the residual atmosphere overcoming the sunlight induced thrust. This limitation seems to require that a solar sail always maintain an altitude greater than approximately 1000 km above the earth’s surface. Placing a sail at this altitude first requires a fairly large launch vehicle which increases the cost of any proposed solar sail mission or proof of concept flight. The inability to access low altitudes also has effectively negated the possibility of using a solar sail as a low cost orbital transfer vehicle. This paper describes a new configuration of solar sail that will allow operation in high inclination earth orbits from under 350 km circular out to interplanetary space. Two possible sail configurations are described and their operation, advantages over previous sail designs and limitations are discussed. Spacecraft drag reduction technique involving the use of a shield made of a solar sail like material is developed.