Solar sail
NASA’S SOLAR SAIL SUCCESSFULLY SPREADS ITS WINGS IN SPACE
Spacecraft data has confirmed successful deployment of the futuristic technology
Reported by Meredith Garofalo
© L·Garde
More than four months after launching to space, a solar-sailing spacecraft has successfully spread its wings above our M planet. NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) caught a ride to space on 24 April on Rocket Lab’s Electron vehicle, and at the end of August, NASA shared in a release that its mission operators verified the technology reached full deployment in space. On 29 August, the team obtained data indicating the test of the sail-hoisting boom system was a success. Just like the wind guides a sailboat on the water, it only takes a slight amount of sunlight to guide solar sails through space. Though photons don’t have mass, they can force momentum when they hit an object – and that’s what a solar sail takes advantage of. Thankfully for us, the spacecraft that deployed the sail contains four cameras that can capture a panoramic view of both the reflective sail and the accompanying composite booms.