All articles tagged with #solar sail
A proposed fleet of four deep-space spacecraft, including one with a large solar sail, could improve early warning of solar tornadoes or flux ropes that threaten Earth during solar storms, potentially speeding up alerts by 40% and enhancing protection for satellites and power infrastructure.
A heliophysicist team is developing the SWIFT satellite constellation, which uses solar sails for propulsion to provide earlier warnings of space weather events, potentially up to 60 minutes in advance, thereby protecting Earth's space infrastructure and future space missions.
NASA is set to launch its experimental solar sail, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3), on April 23 aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from New Zealand. The mission aims to test a new method of propulsion using the pressure of sunlight in Earth orbit, deploying a microwave-sized cubesat with composite booms to unfurl a 30-foot solar sail. The sail, equivalent in size to a small studio apartment, will harness sunlight to generate thrust and raise its orbit, potentially enabling sunlight-propelled space travel. The mission's success could pave the way for future solar sail deployments, with implications for long-duration space missions.
NASA's upcoming ACS3 solar sail mission, aimed at testing new space travel materials in Earth's orbit, is set to launch no earlier than April 24. The mission will test the deployment of solar sails using new composite booms, which are tube-shaped materials meant to unfurl and hold four very thin triangular sheets tautly. Scheduled to launch onboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from New Zealand, the spacecraft will test changing its orbit via the solar sail, potentially offering useful data for future missions. If successful, the solar sail will measure about 860 square feet and could sparkle as brightly as the brightest star in the night sky.
NASA is preparing to launch its next-generation solar sail spacecraft, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3), which aims to demonstrate a more effective solar sail design using lightweight carbon fiber and flexible polymers for booms. The spacecraft will be deployed from a CubeSat and will head for a Sun-synchronous orbit 1,000 km above Earth, where it will unfurl its sail with a photon-gathering area of 80 square meters. If successful, this technology could revolutionize space propulsion and enable long-duration missions using the Sun's abundant energy.
NASA is set to launch a new solar sail spacecraft, ACS3, with a more effective design that utilizes solar wind for propulsion. The spacecraft aims to demonstrate the deployment of lightweight carbon fiber and polymer booms, which could support sails as large as 2,000 square meters. If successful, this technology could revolutionize space exploration by providing a limitless source of propulsion and enabling unique scientific missions, such as studying the Sun and serving as early warning systems for solar hazards.
NASA is set to launch a next-generation solar sail technology, the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket in April. The technology aims to advance future space travel and expand our understanding of the Sun and solar system by using lightweight composite booms and a flexible polymer and carbon fiber sail. The mission will test new boom deployment and sail performance, potentially paving the way for larger scale missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The solar sail's reflective material could be as bright as the brightest star in the night sky, and the technology could also have applications in constructing habitats on the Moon and Mars.
NASA successfully deployed one quadrant of a huge solar sail at Redwire Space's facility in Colorado, marking a significant milestone in experimental spacecraft propulsion using solar radiation. Solar sails harness and reflect sunlight to generate propulsion, making them suitable for low-mass missions in novel orbits without the need for fuel. The technology, now at TRL 6, could soon propel low-cost, long-duration space missions and even accelerate missions beyond the solar system, with potential future use of lasers to accelerate the sails to high speeds.
NASA's solar sail technology has reached Technology Readiness Level 6, making it available for inclusion in mission proposals. The sail, developed over 25 years, is designed to provide precision navigation through space and could enable missions close to the Sun. Solar sails work by reflecting sunlight and offer an efficient, fuel-free propulsion method for uncrewed space missions. The technology has been successfully demonstrated in previous missions, and proposals for its use in upcoming missions are now being sought.
Roscosmos cosmonauts successfully completed a spacewalk, inspecting the Nauka module radiator and releasing a nanosatellite. However, they encountered a coolant leak and partial solar sail deployment issues. The cosmonauts wiped down their suits and tools to prevent contamination before reentering the space station. This was the sixth spacewalk for Oleg Kononenko and the first for Nikolai Chub. NASA astronauts Loral O'Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli are scheduled for the next spacewalk to replace faulty equipment and complete maintenance tasks.