Later this month, called the “composite solar sail feather system”, is scheduled for launch. The space vehicle will lift off aboard Rocket Lab’ s Electron rocket from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand.
Use of composite solar sail feather system
This method of propulsion, which employs the pressure of sunlight, allows spacecraft to maneuver by adjusting their orientation with respect to the Sun, using photons bounced off their reflective surface to move. This technique eliminates the need for conventional propulsion systems, potentially reducing cost and extending mission duration.
The design and material of the booms, which function like the masts on a sailing ship, have limited the efficiency of solar sails, but NASA has implemented a new dynamic with this system.
This is NASA’s solar sail feather system. Source: NASA.
The novel design of the “ Advanced Composite Solar Sail Boom System “is a CubeSat of twelve units (12U) designed by NanoAvionics . The mission is designed to test an innovative composite boom, made of flexible polymers and carbon fiber materials, which offers greater stiffness and lower weight than previous models. The main objective of the mission is to validate its effective deployment, operation, and to evaluate the performance of the sail in space.
Just as a sailboat adjusts its course to better catch the wind, the solar sail modifies its orbit by tilting its structure. After confirming the successful deployment of the boom, orbital maneuvering tests will be conducted and vital data will be collected for future missions with larger sails.
NASA’s expectations and future missions
“Previously, booms were heavy and metallic or constructed of lightweight but bulky composites, which was not optimal for small spacecraft. Solar sails require large, stable, lightweight booms that can be efficiently compacted,” explained Keats Wilkie, principal investigator for the mission at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
Once the spacecraft reaches its Sun-synchronous orbit about 1,000 kilometers above the Earth, it will begin to deploy its composite arms. In approximately 25 minutes, the polymer sail will be fully deployed, extending about 80 square meters. By using onboard cameras they will document and verify the symmetry as well as the shape of the sail during the mission.
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Source and photo: NASA
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