NASA successfully deployed its solar sail

Propulsion system for space travel NASA successfully deployed its solar sail

2024-09-04 From Hendrik Härter | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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NASA's ACS3 rocket had a solar sail on board, which was successfully deployed. If everything goes well, a cost-effective propulsion system will be available.

An artistic representation of a solar sail. On April 24, NASA successfully launched a rocket into space with the ACS3, which had a solar sail on board. This sail has now successfully unfurled.(Image: NASA) — An artistic representation of a solar sail. On April 24, NASA successfully launched a rocket into space with the ACS3, which had a solar sail on board. This sail has now successfully unfurled.
(Image: NASA)

NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) has successfully deployed its solar sail. ACS3 was launched into space on April 24, 2024 with the Electron rocket from Rocket Lab in New Zealand. On August 29, the team received data from the space probe confirming the function of the solar sail.

Just as the wind steers a sailboat on the water, it only takes a small amount of sunlight to move solar sails through space. Although photons have no mass, they can generate an impulse when they hit an object - and this is exactly what a solar sail makes use of. With four cameras on board the ACS3, NASA engineers can observe both the reflective sail and the associated composite booms.

The approximately 80 square meter solar sail is supported by four lightweight composite booms. These flexible polymer and carbon fiber booms are compact and stable, allowing them to unfold from the spacecraft and form rigid tubes that support the ultra-thin, reflective polymer sail.

The awning in use

The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System rocket will be put to the test over the next few weeks as the team observes the sail's maneuverability in space. By adjusting the orbit, researchers can learn more about how future solar sail-equipped missions can be designed and executed.

These adjustments are achieved by tilting the sail, which uses radiation pressure to change the trajectory of the spacecraft. These experiments are crucial to evaluate the thrust functionality of the sail and collect important data for future missions.

Conceivable scenarios for applications

The data collected will be used to develop larger solar sails in the future. Experts are talking about a sail area of up to 2,000 square meters. This represents a major step forward in the development of sustainable and cost-effective propulsion systems for space travel. When exposed to sunlight, the solar sail has an unlimited source of propulsion, making fuel tanks superfluous. According to NASA's plans, they can be used for a variety of missions:

Early warning satellites for space weather: These satellites could be positioned and held in place using solar sails to detect and observe solar storms and other space-related weather phenomena at an early stage.
Asteroid reconnaissance: Solar sails could be used to bring probes into the vicinity of asteroids in order to investigate their composition, trajectory and potential threat to Earth.
Polar regions of the sun: Solar sail satellites can cover large distances in space and precisely control their position. This means that these satellites can also monitor polar regions of the sun that are difficult to access.

(heh)

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