Space craft to use ‘sails’ for fast return to Earth

The humble sail is undergoing a revolution and is set to be thrust into outer-space for use on satellites, rockets and other space craft. A new form of sail, known as an “aerobraking sail”, is being adapted by space engineers who hope to use it to speed up the return of various forms of space craft to Earth faster than they would naturally fall from the sky. The development comes at a critical time when the volume of space junk in orbit is continuing to rise and poses an ever-increasing collision threat to new missions

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