Mercury Scout will take advantage of the solar sail idea as its main propulsion once it has reached Earth orbit. The main objectives for the mission are to map out the mineral distribution on the ...

More than four months after launching to space, a solar-sailing spacecraft has successfully spread its wings above our planet. NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) caught a ride to ...

NEW ORLEANS — Solar sails that allow satellites to glide on the light from the sun could soon become a reality. The technology would allow scientists to provide earlier warnings of space weather ...