NASA Experiences Early Success with its Solar Sail

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System spacecraft in Earth Orbit. (NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart)

On Tuesday, NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System was launched from New Zealand aboard a Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. The successful launch was followed shortly thereafter by the deployment of an 80 square meter experimental solar sail.

In describing the mission, NASA noted:

Like a sailboat turning to capture the wind, the solar sail can adjust its orbit by angling its sail. After evaluating the boom deployment, the mission will test a series of maneuvers to change the spacecraft’s orbit and gather data for potential future missions with even larger sails.

If all goes well, larger sails will be developed to potentially replace large rocket engines and accompanying fuel tanks for future trips to the Moon, Mars, other parts of the solar system, and even interstellar locations.

You might be able to see the solar sail in the night sky as it orbits the Earth, so keep looking up.