Applied Aerospace & Defense, working with NOAA and NASA, has manufactured the largest solar sail ever built. It’s an ultra‑thin, aluminum‑coated polyimide membrane engineered to harness sunlight for propulsion. The sail will expand to 17,792 square feet (about four basketball courts) yet can fold down to a package the size of a microwave for launch.
This breakthrough positions Applied at the center of NOAA’s push toward propellant‑free spacecraft that can operate closer to the Sun. That closer vantage point would give NOAA earlier detection of geomagnetic storms, improving national protection for satellites, power grids, and other critical systems.
