Kirigami/Origami Actuators for Solar Sail Attitude Control

Solar sails are of great interest as the next-generation propulsion, offering propellant-free operation and supporting high delta-V missions and non-Keplerian orbits. Nonetheless, the lightweight and very large-area characteristics of solar sails pose significant challenges for attitude control, which will likely intensify further. Here, leveraging the solar sail’s large-area membrane structure, we propose integrating thin-film origami and kirigami actuators within the solar sail membrane to manipulate local radiation pressure for enhanced attitude control. Specifically, we investigate the electrothermal actuation mechanism and develop a new class of bidirectional, ambient-heat-resistant, and fast-cycle actuators suited for solar sail applications. Moreover, by combining kirigami and origami techniques, we morph sheets into complex, multi-degree-of-freedom geometries that facilitate enhanced radiation pressure control. This technology demonstrates the potential to significantly improve solar sailing capabilities, unlock novel missions, and integrate into a broader range of deployable, membrane-based space structures.