A statite (a portmanteau of the words static and satellite) is a hypothetical type of artificial satellite that employs a solar sail to continuously modify its orbit in ways that gravity alone would not allow. Typically, a statite would use the solar sail to "hover" in a location that would not otherwise be available as a stable geosynchronous orbit. Statites have been proposed that would remain in fixed locations high over Earth's poles, using reflected sunlight to counteract the gravity pulling them down. Statites might also employ their sails to change the shape or velocity of more conventional orbits, depending upon the purpose of the particular statite.

The concept of the statite was invented independently and at about the same time by Robert L. Forward[1] (who coined the term "statite") and Colin McInnes, who used the term "halo orbit"[2] (not to be confused with the type of halo orbit discovered by Robert Farquhar). Subsequently, the terms "non-Keplerian orbit" and "artificial Lagrange point" have been used as a generalization of the above terms.

No statites have been deployed to date, as solar sail technology remains in its infancy. NASA's cancelled Sunjammer solar sail mission had the stated objective of flying to an artificial Lagrange point near the Earth/Sun L1 point, to demonstrate the feasibility of the Geostorm[3] geomagnetic storm warning mission concept proposed by NOAA's Patricia Mulligan.[4] A constellation of statites has been proposed for performing a rendezvous with an interstellar object.[5]

A so-called quasite is a variation of a statite, being slightly unbalanced to allow other forces to balance its position, though having a slow orbit. This is employed in the proposal by David Kipping for a so-called Torqued Accelerator using Radiation from the Sun (TARS) slingshot accelerator,[6] essentially being a light mill in space.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ US patent 5183225, Robert L. Forward & Forward, "Statite: Spacecraft That Utilizes Light Pressure and Method of Use", issued 1993-02-02 
  2. ^ McInnes, C. R. and Simmons, J. F. L.: "Halo Orbits for Solar Sails—Dynamics and Applications", ESA Journal, Vol. 13, 1989, pp. 229-234
  3. ^ Geostorm
  4. ^ Mulligan, Patricia (August 1998). "Solar Sails for the Operational Space Community". Spaceviews. 8 (3–4).
  5. ^ Cody, Sara (May 6, 2020). "To catch an interstellar visitor, use a solar-powered space slingshot". MIT News, Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  6. ^ Cooper, Keith (September 8, 2025). "Spacecraft launcher named for robot in 'Interstellar' could help us reach another star system. Here's how". Space. Retrieved November 28, 2025.
  7. ^ Kipping, David; Lampo, Kathryn (2025). "Torqued Accelerator using Radiation from the Sun (TARS) for Interstellar Payloads". arXiv:2507.17615v1 [physics.space-ph].
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consisting of an enormous mirror/light sail—actually a massive type of solar statite large enough to classify as a megastructure—which would balance gravitational

Geosynchronous orbit

desired longitude, the spacecraft's period is restored to geosynchronous. A statite is a hypothetical satellite that uses radiation pressure from the Sun against

Robert L. Forward

such as time travel and negative matter. He was issued a patent for the statite, and contributed to a concept to drain the Van Allen Belts. Forward's extensive

List of hypothetical technologies

Spomified asteroid Stanford torus Starlifting Starseed launcher StarTram Statite Stellar engine Sun scoop Terraforming Terrascope Thermonuclear micro-bomb

Solar sail

to either the Sun or the Earth, a type of satellite named by Forward a "statite". This is possible because the propulsion provided by the sail offsets

Orbit

of the Sun, and so can be used indefinitely for station keeping. (See statite for one such proposed use.) Satellites with long conductive tethers can

Terraforming of Mars

temperature directly. The 125 km radius mirror could be positioned as a statite, using its effectiveness as a solar sail to orbit in a stationary position

Colin R. McInnes

Forward) the concept variously known as the solar sail halo orbit, the statite, the artificial Lagrange point and the non-Keplerian orbit. He was then