Light-levitated geostationary cylindrical orbits using perforated light sails

A perforated light sail is attached to a communications satellite in geostationary orbit and tilted toward the sun. The light pressure from the sun provides a component of force perpendicular to the orbital plane. This force 'levitates' the satellite northward (or southward) of the nominal equatorial geostationary orbit plane by a distance determined by the mass-to-area ratio of the sail plus communication package. By using a light sail with perforations smaller than the wavelength of the sunlight, the mass of the sail can be decreased significantly without affecting the reflectivity. The distance of the levitated sail in the north-south direction can be many thousands of kilometers and can even allow a satellite to operate in a geostationary 'orbit' whose orbital 'center' is outside the earth's surface. This concept will permit poleward 'stacking' of communication satellites at the more desirable angular positions along the normal equatorial geostationary orbit and, for the first time, will allow geostationary satellites to communicate directly with the polar regions.