No sooner than the scientists realized the power of the sun in outer space, they began experimenting on ways to harness it directly from there. NASA to launch Advanced Composite Solar Sail System in a week, through which it will send a special sail into space.
A NASA mission is gearing up to test a new way of navigating our solar system with a Rocket Lab Electron rocket. It will send a special sail into space to catch the propulsive power of sunlight.
This Advanced Composite Solar Sail System will be launched on Tuesday, 23nd April (Wednesday, 24th April in New Zealand) from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.
Objective
NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System wants to prove that it can sail through space. It aims to increase access and lower mission costs to the moon, Mars, and even beyond.
Learn more about Space-Based Solar Power: The Future of Clean Energy
Highlights of the Mission
- The rocket will deliver mission’s CubeSat nearly 600 miles above the Earth. It is 2x that of the height of the International Space Station.
- This is required to check the performance of NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System.
- At this altitude, the sail will feel a minimal force from sunlight. It will be roughly similar to the weight of the paperclip on your hand.
- In space, this will help the spacecraft overcome air resistance and gain altitude.
- For nearly 2 months, it will carry on subsystems checkout. Thhe CubeSat (Nearly microwave oven sized) will unfold its reflective solar sail.
- The performance tests will take around 1 week. During that it will move around. This will show how the sail can raise or lower its orbit using just the sunlight’s pressure.
Source: NASA to Hoist Its Sail: Solar Sail Mission Gets Ready for Launch
