ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 24 -- United States Patent no. 12,583,629, issued on March 24, was assigned to L'Garde Inc. (Tustin, Calif.).
"Solar sail for orbital maneuvers" was invented by Nathaniel C. Barnes (Irvine, Calif.) and Darren D. Garber (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "A solar sail includes a bus and a plurality of separate movable vanes coupled to the bus. Each movable vane includes a reflective surface for generating solar radiation pressure and propel the solar sail in space. Each vane may be movable relative to the bus in a fully deployed configuration such that an amount of thrust generated by solar radiation pressure on each vane is controllable."
The pa...