a device that reflects light particles from the sun, gaining momentum in the opposite direction to propel spacecraft forwards
solar sail in American English
noun
Aerospace
a design concept for spacecraft propulsion consisting of a very thin, very large sheet of highly polished material that would be driven by the pressure of sunlight
Word origin
[1955–60]This word is first recorded in the period 1955–60. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: life-support, opioid, rite of passage, rollout, software
Examples of 'solar sail' in a sentence
solar sail
His chosen propulsion method is a highpowered laser harnessed by a 'solar sail' attached to each one of several hundred of his tiny robot probes.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The shoebox-sized gadget clings to space junk, such as bits of abandoned spacecraft, then deploys large solar sails.