Planetary sunshade for solar geoengineering: Preliminary design of a precursor system and mission

Coco, Marina; Matonti, Catello Leonardo; Cappelletti, Chantal; Chesley, Bruce; Fuglesang, Christer; Governale, Giuseppe; Pushparaj, Nishanth; Romano, Marcello; Tibert, Gunnar; Wilk, Lisa

Abstract

The increasing urgency of climate change mitigation necessitates innovative solutions beyond terrestrial efforts. Space-based solar geoengineering - particularly a Planetary Sunshade System (PSS) positioned near the photo-gravitational equilibrium point , which lies closer to the Sun than the classical due to the effect solar radiation pressure - has been proposed as a potential method to reduce incoming solar radiation and stabilize global temperatures.

This paper presents the preliminary design of a precursor mission aimed at demonstrating key technologies essential for the deployment of a full-scale PSS. The proposed mission features a 12U CubeSat equipped with a 81 [m] solar sail, which will be used for propulsion, attitude control, and station-keeping at L*1. The mission objectives focus on validating the long-term performance of optical shielding materials, demonstrating solar sailing as a sustainable propulsion method, and assessing the feasibility of autonomous orbit and attitude control systems.

The technical and economic feasibility of the precursor mission, with an estimated budget of 10M USD is examined. By addressing key uncertainties in spacecraft formation flying, material degradation, and long-term solar sailing operations, this mission represents a crucial step toward the realization of a scalable planetary sunshade for climate intervention.

Citation

Coco, M., Matonti, C. L., Cappelletti, C., Chesley, B., Fuglesang, C., Governale, G., Pushparaj, N., Romano, M., Tibert, G., & Wilk, L. (2025). Planetary sunshade for solar geoengineering: Preliminary design of a precursor system and mission. Acta Astronautica, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.05.031

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 18, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Jun 4, 2025
• Publication Date: Jun 4, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jun 5, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 5, 2026
• Journal: Acta Astronautica
• Print ISSN: 0094-5765
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.05.031
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/49910153
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576525003133
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: Planetary sunshade for solar geoengineering: Preliminary design of a precursor system and mission; Journal Title: Acta Astronautica; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2025.05.031; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2025 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IAA.