Follows Success in Sail-Hoisting Boom Test

NASA mission operators confirmed the successful testing of its sail-hoisting boom system at 1:33 pm EDT on August 29. This completes the full deployment of their Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, or ACS3, in space.

NASA’s ACS3 was designed for cost-effective deep space missions. It has the potential to serve several purposes, including space weather early warning, near-Earth asteroid reconnaissance, or communications for crewed exploration.

The spacecraft was constructed to be lightweight while maintaining durability and thrust. Its composite booms, made of a polymer material and reinforced with carbon fiber, are 75% lighter than previous metallic booms. They are also intended to “experience 100 times less in-space thermal distortion,” the agency said. In the future, depending on information gathered in the current mission, NASA hopes to build solar sails as large as 21,500 square feet.

“Just as a sailboat is powered by wind in a sail,” NASA explained, “solar sails employ the pressure of sunlight for propulsion, eliminating the need for conventional rocket propellant.”

The sail, launched on April 23, has an approximate area of 860 square feet and is attached to lightweight booms. It currently sits at around twice the altitude of the International Space Station.

Four cameras are located around the spacecraft’s center to capture panoramic imagery of the sail and its supporting booms. NASA is expected to make its photos available on September 4.

With the ACS3 deployed, NASA team members are able to begin testing its maneuvering capabilities. They will raise and lower its orbit levels to receive data, helping to build operation concepts for future sail-equipped missions.

The sail’s size may make it visible to skywatchers at the right time. NASA will be posting updates on how and when to locate the AMS3 in a given area.

The project is being managed by NASA Ames and was funded by their Small Spacecraft Technology program office.

FMI: www.nasa.gov