The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) deployed its booms in Earth’s orbit on August 29, unfurling its 9-meter wide reflective surface. Launched on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on April 23, 2024, the 12U CubeSat, built by Nanoavionics, reached the primary mission of successfully testing the unfolding operation of the 80-square-meter sail in space.
Sail deployment achieved!
— NASA Ames (@NASAAmes) August 29, 2024
Our Advanced Composite Solar Sail System has successfully unfurled its sail & will use sunlight for propulsion as it orbits Earth, testing next-generation technologies that will help enable future missions at the Moon & beyond: https://t.co/s0kDJ8VxkE pic.twitter.com/ljN2CmauYj
After performing the expected unfolding, ACS3 will raise and lower its orbit thanks to its solar sail, evaluating its maneuvering capabilities. This additional test will provide insightful information for future missions based on the same propulsion system.
The spacecraft is flying on a sun-synchronous orbit about 1,000 kilometers above Earth. It may be seen with the naked eye under the right conditions since its reflective material could reach a magnitude similar to the star Sirius.
Advertisement
Solar Sailing, a fascinating reality
The Russian rocket scientist and pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was the first to propose solar sailing as a propulsive system for spacecraft. Like sea sails use the pressure of the wind to move forward, solar sails produce thrust thanks to the radiation pressure of solar wind particles hitting their reflective surface.
JAXA’s IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) was the first spacecraft to move thanks to a solar sail. Launched in 2010 on an H-IIA vehicle, the spacecraft demonstrated its attitude control capability by exploiting the solar radiation pressure on its 20-square-meter sail.
The Planetary Society’s LightSail program launched two solar sails in Earth’s orbit. In 2015 Lightsail 1 tested the sail deployment technology and Lightsail 2 demonstrated solar sailing in 2019, with both spacecraft completing their missions. Lightsail 2 overachieved its primary goal since it orbited for two years more than originally planned.
Advertisement
Innovative technology for next-generation solar sails
NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program reduces mission development time and costs and enables new mission architectures using small spacecraft as technology demonstrators. The program funded the ACS3 project to test a transformational sail deployment technology that can be used for other kinds of applications.
“This technology sparks the imagination, reimagining the whole idea of sailing and applying it to space travel. Demonstrating the abilities of solar sails and lightweight, composite booms is the next step in using this technology to inspire future missions.”
— Rudy Aquilina, project manager of the ACS3 mission at NASA Ames
Made with flexible polymer and carbon fiber materials, the new composite booms are stiffer and lighter than previous designs. The ACS3 mission’s success could lead to the development of technologies that can support sails up to two thousand square meters, leading to larger-scale missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, potentially even to interstellar travels.
“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.”
— Alan Rhodes, ACS3 Lead Systems Engineer
Advertisement
