this post was submitted on 03 Sep 2024
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[โ€“] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

What's fun about these is that the mass of the actual vehicle can be much smaller if it doesn't need to carry rocketry and fuel on board. So even though they'll never compete with rockets for power (energy used over a specific length of time), starting at a lighter weight and never running out of fuel means that these systems could theoretically exceed the top speeds (relative to the earth) of our fastest rockets, given enough time.

[โ€“] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

How do they slow down or stop; is it by reversing the sail?