solar sail

noun

: a propulsive device for a spacecraft that consists of a flat material (such as aluminized plastic) designed to receive thrust from solar radiation pressure

Examples of solar sail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Friday, September 6, 2024: This image is the first-ever selfie of NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, a new solar sail that unfurled its huge wings in late August. Space.com Staff, Space.com, 1 Jan. 2025 That's why solar sails should enable us to go much farther out into space. Rhett Allain, WIRED, 27 Sep. 2024 Well, after figuring out things like how to unfold the mirrors, steering, computation, and making a solar sail to power the electronics. Dan Primack, Axios, 25 Sep. 2024 Photons, or particles of light, knock against the solar sail and bounce off, like they’re reflected from a mirror. Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for solar sail 

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of solar sail was in 1958

Dictionary Entries Near solar sail

Cite this Entry

“Solar sail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar%20sail. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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