Astral Technology Unlimited, Inc. (ATU) proposes using commercially available films to produce ultra-light weight solar sail material weighing approximately 1.2 grams/square meter. ATU will sputter coat the film to protect it from space environment effects and use tape bonding techniques with tear stop filament reinforcement to seam web segments together. The material will be: highly reflective to solar radiation, thermally stable, tear resistant, and resist AO and UV degradation. This material will be capable of being fabricated into very large area sails.
Potential Commercial Applications:This new solar sail material can be used to propel space craft over interplanetary space, for programs such as GEOSTORM, or as giant mirrors to concentrate sunlight on space based power generators that would beam electrical energy down to earth for commercial purposes.
