Gama: Gama Alpha Solar Sail Enters Orbit

French aerospace company Gama has launched its first solar sail to space, with the support of the National Centre for Space Studies (CNES, France) and private companies including CMA CGM, a global logistics company. The satellite containing the solar sail was successfully placed in orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9 on Jan. 3. The mission aims to test the deployment and control of the sail, a decisive step for the democratization of this new means of space propulsion. Solar sails use only sunlight for propulsion, removing the need to carry fuel. The sails rely on photonic propulsion, using the pressure produced by photons when they bounce off a reflective surface. Though the force is weak, when applied to a large surface and in the...