Performance of Solar-Sail Materials at the Photo-Gravitational Equilibrium Point L1

[Geoengineering News]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273117726008094#f0020

Authors: Marina Coco, Catello Leonardo Matonti, Giuseppe Governale, Elena Ancona, Roman Ya. Kezerashvili

16 June 2026

Highlights

•Performance of solar-sail satellite materials at the photo-gravitational equilibrium point L1 of the Sun-Earth/Moon center of mass Circular Restricted Three-body Problem are investigated.

•A radiation-induced degradation model has been developed to account for different type of sources of degradation.

•The degradation model has been applied to study the dynamics of the Planetary Sunshade System.

Abstract

This research investigates the performance of solar-sail satellite materials, focusing on their optical and mechanical resilience under space conditions near the photo-gravitational L1 point of the Sun-Earth/Moon’s System Center of Mass, within the framework of the Photo-gravitational Circular Restricted Three Body Problem. At L1, solar-sails are exposed to continuous sunlight, intense UV and gamma radiation, and solar particles, all of which can degrade optical and mechanical properties. Results show how this degradation leads to a variation in the optical properties of solar-sail materials, resulting in a displacement from the equilibrium point. This study is motivated by the needs of the Planetary Sunshade System program, a space-based solar geoengineering concept relying on the long-term station-keeping of a swarm of solar-sail satellite.

Source: ScienceDirect