Please select your home edition
Edition
Lloyd Stevenson - Catalyst GT 1456x180px TOP

Gama launches its Gama Alpha solar sail mission

by Gama 3 Jan 2023 15:32 UTC
Gama Solar Sail © Gama

Gama, a French aerospace company, announces the launch of its first solar sail to space, with the support of the CNES and private companies including CMA CGM, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions.

After two years of research and rapid development, the satellite containing the solar sail was successfully placed in orbit by a SpaceX Falcon 9, on the 3rd of January 2023. A solar sail uses only sunlight for propulsion, removing the need to carry fuel and opening new scientific and commercial possibilities in our solar system and beyond. The Gama Alpha mission aims to test the deployment and control of the sail, a decisive step for the democratization of this new means of space propulsion.

The Solar Sail: a revolutionary means of propulsion

Solar sails rely on photonic propulsion, using the pressure produced by photons when they bounce off a reflective surface. The force is weak, but when applied to a large surface and in the void of space, allows the spacecraft to continuously accelerate.

With continuous acceleration, a solar sail could theoretically become the fastest spacecraft made by humans. Similar to maritime sailing, it is the position of the sail in relation to the Sun’s rays that will determine the trajectory of the craft. And as with a conventional sail, it is therefore possible to move away from the Sun but also to get closer by sailing “upwind”.

"In space, the sun’s radiative pressure allows constant acceleration. The result? Missions that are 10 to 20 times less expensive and no longer limited by a fuel budget. A solar sail is poetic, inherently sustainable, and dramatically lowers the cost of access to deep space or unstable orbits" says Andrew Nutter, Gama co-founder.

Launch of the Gama Alpha Mission

Gama's first demonstrator mission, "Gama Alpha", is a satellite placed in orbit at an altitude of 550 km by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 3rd of January 2023. The 6U cubesat (the size of a large shoebox) weighs just 12 kilograms, including the packed 73.3m2 sail.

The first phase will be commissioning the satellite, establishing communications and checking all the vital signs are good. The second phase will be the sail deployment. The satellite will be put in slow rotation, initiating the release of four tungsten masses at the tip of each sail petal. The centrifugal force generated by the rotation is enough to ensure the deployment and the structural shape of the sail. Comments Jordan Culeux, Gama Lead System Engineer.

The primary objective of Gama Alpha is to deploy and control the sail, demonstrating that a very large sail can be controlled from a cubesat and receiving flight data to improve simulations and control algorithms. Demonstrating sustained navigation will be the objective of Gama’s second mission, Gama Beta.

The final phase for Alpha will be deorbiting the satellite, benefiting from the Earth’s remnant atmosphere at mission altitude. The large surface area and small mass will cause the satellite to rapidly deorbit, minimising the risk of debris and also demonstrating a sail can be used to deorbit satellites at end of life.

The development of the satellite took two years, with many prototypes and iterations of the folding and deployment system of the sail, as well as development of simulations and software to control the spacecraft. Part of the platform (electrical systems, telecommunications, on-board cards, etc.) was supplied by the Lithuanian company NanoAvionics.

"The technology developed by Gama is unique in that the company works on the deployment and control of ever larger surfaces in space. Our ability to deploy a sail the size of a tennis court from a satellite barely larger than a shoebox opens up new perspectives" says Thibaud Elziere, Gama co-founder.

Gama Beta and beyond

The Gama Alpha mission will be followed Gama Beta, to demonstrate sail propulsion and navigation. While Alpha is about the sail deployment, Beta will be launched at twice the altitude and focus on "navigation", going from A to B using only photonic propulsion and proving all key elements of the technology.

With this flight heritage, Gama will partner with space agencies and commercial partners to unlock access to deep space.

"In short, we are building the space transportation infrastructure of tomorrow. While companies today are focused on low earth orbit, we have decided to look further afield and prepare for the space operations of the future. Thanks to the solar sail, we offer an economically viable alternative to continue exploring the Solar System and carry out increasingly complex missions" concludes Louis de Goüyon Matignon, Gama co-founder.

CNES partnership and CMA CGM sponsorship

To make the Alpha mission a reality, Gama is fortunate to have the support of the French Space Agency, the CNES, as well as many other public and private enterprises, including the CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions.

CMA CGM already uses data from satellites to improve its operations throughout the globe, for navigation, real-time maritime conditions and communications. With a rapidly growing space economy and new impetus to develop space resources, reliable and affordable space logistics will be necessary to help develop commercial opportunities.

About Gama

Gama is a French space company founded by Louis de Gouyon Matignon, Thibaud Elziere and Andrew Nutter. Gama's mission is to revolutionize access to deep space using low-cost, reliable and scalable solar sails. A solar sail allows a spacecraft to be powered solely by sunlight and accelerated to unprecedented speeds. Gama is offering its photonic propulsion technology for commercial and scientific missions to explore and exploit resources in our Solar system.

Find out more at www.gamaspace.com

Related Articles

Top Double-Handed teams shine in Helsinki
The new ORC DH European Champions are Jolene (SWE), Team Goodio (FIN) and Garmin Team Pro4u (SWE) After a thrilling week of competition on the Baltic Sea, the 2025 Garmin ORC Double-Handed European Championship concluded on a high note at Helsingfors Segelklubb. Posted on 12 Jul
Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup Day 8
Super Finals Saturday sees Daida Moreno produce buzzer beater The penultimate day of the 2025 Gran Canaria Gloria Windsurf World Cup saw final results gained in three categories; Women's, U21 Boy's and U18 Boy's and all three divisions required Super Finals to determine the eventual winners. Posted on 12 Jul
Rodos Cup 2025 overall
Concluding with Chalki - Rhodes race on the final day The 28th RODOS CUP 2025 concluded with the 4th and final race: Chalki - Rhodes (Fanes), 18nm. Posted on 12 Jul
International Moth Worlds at Lake Garda Day 5
A day to remember on Lake Garda with waves and strong gusts A day to remember on Lake Garda for the fifth and penultimate day of the 2025 Moth World Championship, hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine from 6 to 13 July. Posted on 12 Jul
2025 Cowes Dinard St Malo Race Start Photos
Martin Augustus of sailingimages.co.uk was out in the sunshine as the fleet sailed out of the Solent The Cowes Dinard St Malo Race, the thirteenth race of the RORC Season's Points Championship, started on Friday and Martin Augustus was on hand to catch the action in the Western Solent as they made their way in the sunshine towards Dinard. Posted on 12 Jul
Jazz Turner Makes History in Project FEAR
Jazz credits Allen for providing cutting-edge sheeting systems, as well as expert advice Project FEAR, an extraordinary solo sailing voyage by Jazz Turner, has concluded successfully: she became the first disabled person – and specifically the first wheelchair user – to sail non-stop and unassisted around the UK and Ireland. Posted on 12 Jul
18th Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona overall
Some of the most celebrated gems of classic yachting in the waters off Barcelona The sails have now been lowered on the 18th edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica, which this week brought together some of the most celebrated gems of classic yachting in the waters off Barcelona. Posted on 12 Jul
Dylan Fletcher previews Portsmouth
Fletcher says SailGP's Portsmouth debut offers the team the chance to 'right the wrongs'. With just a week to go until SailGP's return to Great Britain, we sit down with Emirates GBR driver Dylan Fletcher to discuss the opportunities and pressures of a home event. Posted on 12 Jul
Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta 2025 Preview
The fourth stop of the five series Sailing Grand Slam circuit Over 200 elite athletes from 42 nations have converged on Long Beach to test their skills on the same waters that will host sailing events during the LA2028 Olympic Games as they compete in the Long Beach Olympic Classes Regatta July 12-20 Posted on 12 Jul
Long Offshore Race winners declared in Helsinki
A demanding course across the Gulf of Finland in the Garmin ORC Double-Handed Europeans The Long Offshore Race of the 2025 Garmin ORC Double-Handed European Championship, concluded on Friday in Helsinki after a challenging 247 to 283-nautical-mile course across the Gulf of Finland and back. Posted on 11 Jul
Mackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMLloyd Stevenson - AC ETNZ 1456x180px BOTTOMAllen Dynamic 40 Footer