A few months after launch, NASA’s solar sail mission isn’t looking so smooth. So far, ground teams have been unable to deploy its massive solar glide system. The mission is designed to test new materials and deployable structures for solar sail propulsion as a form of space travel, but the mission’s success may be in jeopardy.
The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System was launched on April 23 on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. Nearly a week into its journey, the microwave-oven-sized CubeSat made contact with ground control in its sun-synchronous orbit, about 600 miles (966 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface. All was going well until NASA began deployment operations.
NASA wrote in a recent update that the mission’s solar sail was paused during an initial deployment attempt when onboard power monitors detected higher than expected motor current. NASA engineers are analyzing data from the spacecraft to understand what may have caused the sudden failure. According to NASA, the spacecraft’s communications, power and attitude control were functioning normally during this period.
“Mission operators were able to download data from the spacecraft during a brief, planned communication window as the spacecraft passed through mission control at the University of California, Santa Clara,” NASA wrote. “Prior to resuming deployment operations , the team is conducting analysis and evaluation of all spacecraft systems.”
Solar sails operate on photons from the sun, harnessing the energy produced by the light and using it to propel the spacecraft forward. When a photon hits the spacecraft’s sail, it creates a small burst of momentum that pushes it farther away from the star. If a spacecraft could transcend the resistance of Earth’s atmosphere, it would have the potential to reach very high altitudes.
NASA’s solar sail mission is designed to test new materials and deployable structures for experimental propulsion systems, including a new composite boom for deploying the solar sail. Composite booms are made from polymer materials; they are lightweight while remaining stiff and resistant to bending and warping in varying temperatures. They operate in the same way as a sail yard, except they are designed to capture sunlight rather than the propulsive force of the wind.
If deployed, the solar sail will extend 30 feet (9 meters) on each side. The sail needs to be large enough to generate enough thrust, while also needing to be in a high enough orbit to use the subtle power of sunlight on the sail to gain altitude and overcome atmospheric drag. According to NASA, sunlight exerts a force roughly equivalent to the weight of a paper clip in the palm of your hand.
The initial flight phase of the mission was designed to last approximately two months and included a series of pointing maneuvers to demonstrate orbital elevation and lowering using only sunlight pressure on the sails. NASA hopes its solar sail technology will help the agency reach further destinations in the universe and help deepen our understanding of the solar system.
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