WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NASA is set to launch its next-generation solar sail technology, known as the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System in April, paving the way for the future of space travel.
The technology to be deployed aboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from the company's Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, will enhance the scientists' knowledge of the solar system and help in future missions.
According to NASA, solar sails use the pressure of sunlight for propulsion, enabling longer duration and cost-effective missions. The energy of photons bouncing off the reflective sail is used to maneuver the spacecraft.
'The Sun will continue burning for billions of years, so we have a limitless source of propulsion. Instead of launching massive fuel tanks for future missions, we can launch larger sails that use 'fuel' already available,' said Alan Rhodes, the mission's lead systems engineer at NASA's Ames Research Center. 'We will demonstrate a system that uses this abundant resource to take those next giant steps in exploration and science.'
For testing purposes, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System demonstration will launch a twelve-unit CubeSat built by NanoAvionics, equipped with advanced composite booms crafted from flexible polymer and carbon fiber materials.
'Booms have tended to be either heavy and metallic or made of lightweight composite with a bulky design - neither of which work well for today's small spacecraft. Solar sails need very large, stable, and lightweight booms that can fold down compactly,' said Keats Wilkie, the mission's principal investigator at NASA's Langley Research Center. 'This sail's booms are tube-shaped and can be squashed flat and rolled like a tape measure into a small package while offering all the advantages of composite materials, like less bending and flexing during temperature changes.'
NASA also added that the lightweight design and compact packing system of composite booms make it a desirable construction material for habitats on the Moon and Mars.
The mission's primary goal is to successfully deploy these booms. Following this, the team will evaluate the solar sail's performance and conduct a series of maneuvers to change the spacecraft's orbit.
Upon reaching its designated Sun-synchronous orbit, which is 600 miles above Earth, the sail will deploy its composite booms, spanning the diagonals of the polymer sail. Later, the solar sail will reach its full size after about 25 minutes.
NASA expects to capture the full deployment of the sails with the help of cameras, to analyze its capability and potential for future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
'This technology sparks the imagination, reimagining the whole idea of sailing and applying it to space travel,' commented Rudy Aquilina, project manager of the solar sail mission at NASA Ames. 'Demonstrating the abilities of solar sails and lightweight, composite booms is the next step in using this technology to inspire future missions.'
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