NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System Reaches Orbit and Connects to Earth

ACS3 Mission: A Leap in Advanced Propulsion Technology

NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) mission recently made contact with Earth, signifying all systems are operational with the pint-sized spacecraft. In a remarkable development, engineers established two-way communication with the CubeSat, not much bigger than a microwave oven. The communication was accomplished as the spacecraft passed over the ground hub at Santa Clara University’s Robotics Systems Lab in Santa Clara, California.

Mission's Commissioning Phase Underway

Now that the spacecraft has been confirmed healthy, engineers will initiate the mission's commissioning phase, lasting possibly one to two months. Once this phase completes, the spacecraft would deploy the four booms that span the square's diagonals and unfurl the solar sail.

Testing ACS3's Orbit Changing Potential

After the sail has been deployed, the spacecraft would conduct a series of tests to determine if it's capable of altering its orbit by adjusting the sail's angle. The success of this demonstration will pave the path for larger solar sails. As per NASA, the current ACS3 sail covers an area of 80 square meters, giving it the appearance of a bright star in the sky. However, for missions reaching as far as the Moon, Mars, or beyond, larger sails would be requisite.

Camera Capturing for Success Analysis

The spacecraft has cameras mounted with which it will capture the sail's deployment, its shape, and symmetry for analyzing the success of the mission. ACS3 was launched on April 23, 2024, using Rocket Lab Electron and put in a highly circular orbit at 1,000 km. NASA believes that the boom design used here could potentially back future solar sails reaching up to 5,400 square feet (500 square meters), about the size of a basketball court. The successful outcome of this mission could support sails up to 21,500 square feet (2,000 square meters), equal to half a soccer field.

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