A promising space technology remains largely unexploited: solar sails. These lightweight structures, propelled by the ...

NASA has launched the latest attempt to test solar sail propulsion technology. The ACS3’s solar sail is made of a reflective polymer and is held by a boom made of carbon fiber composite material.

"I think these are not far-out type of ideas; they are not really futuristic ideas that we are talking about." ...

Use cases for smart materials in space exploration keep cropping up everywhere. They are used in everything from antenna deployments on satellites to rover deformation and reformation. The concept, ...