solar sail
noun
Aerospace.
a design concept for spacecraft propulsion consisting of a very thin, very large sheet of highly polished material that would be driven by the pressure of sunlight.
Origin of solar sail
First recorded in 1955–60
Words nearby solar sail
British Dictionary definitions for solar sail
solar sail
noun
a device that reflects light particles from the Sun, gaining momentum in the opposite direction to propel spacecraft forwards
Scientific definitions for solar sail
solar sail
A saillike device that is made of lightweight and highly reflective material and attached to a spacecraft to harness the radiation pressure of the solar wind and light for propulsion. Also called light sail