NASA intends to deploy a next-generation solar sail technology known as the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System.
The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is scheduled to launch in April and will revolutionize space travel and expand our understanding of space. Solar sails use the pressure of sunlight for propulsion and have long-standing promise for space exploration.
According to NASA, by using the energy of photons bouncing off the reflector sails, spacecraft can manoeuvre without the need for heavy propulsion, potentially enabling longer and more cost-effective missions.
However, the limitations of traditional materials and boom designs hinder the effectiveness of solar sails. The latest NASA project aims to solve these problems.
The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System project will deploy an advanced twelve-section CubeSat satellite equipped with innovative composite booms made of flexible polymer and carbon fibre materials.
The main goal of the mission is to demonstrate the successful deployment of these arrows. After deployment, the team will evaluate the performance of the solar sail and conduct a series of manoeuvres to adjust the spacecraft’s orbit, setting the stage for future missions with larger sails.
According to Keats Wilkie, the mission’s principal investigator, traditional sail designs are not suitable for today’s small spacecraft. The new tubular booms can be folded compactly and have the advantages of composite materials, such as greater stability and resistance to temperature fluctuations. After reaching the designated solar orbit, the spacecraft will deploy composite booms that will span the diagonals of the polymer sail.
In a matter of minutes, the solar sail will reach its full size, equivalent to approximately 80 square meters. Cameras mounted on the spacecraft will record the deployment process, ensuring that the sail maintains its shape and symmetry.
Under optimal lighting conditions, the spacecraft’s deployed sail can be seen from Earth, shining as brightly as the star Sirius. Alan Rhodes, the mission’s lead systems engineer, hopes the technological advances demonstrated by this mission will inspire further innovation in space exploration.
The successful deployment of the lightweight composite solar sail booms as part of NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technologies program aims to pave the way for larger missions to celestial bodies beyond Earth. The space agency also said that the future sails will have an area of about 2,000 square meters, which will provide constant thrust for missions to the moon, Mars and so on.
“This technology is mind-blowing, redefining the whole idea of sailing and applying it to space travel,” said Rudy Aquilina, Solar Sail Mission Project Manager at NASA Ames.
“Demonstrating the capabilities of solar sails and lightweight composite booms is the next step in using this technology to inspire future missions.”
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