NASA launches solar powered spacecraft today

NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Cell System aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket uses sunlight for spacecraft propulsion and was launched at 3:30 pm IST from New Zealand. This solar energy charged spacecraft will be installed 1,000 kilometers above the Earth. Deployed 25 minutes after liftoff, the spacecraft will measure about 80 square meters, NASA reports.

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According to the US space agency, initially, the mission will last for a few months during the first phase after which the solar sail will be installed.

In a social media post on X (formerly Twitter), the space agency said, “NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is targeting an April 23 launch on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from New Zealand. The rocket will deploy the mission’s CubeSats above Earth to test the system’s performance.”

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The oven-sized CubeSat is the heart of the spacecraft that will propel the spacecraft when solar particles are directed toward the solar sail. The mission team will conduct a series of pointing maneuvers over the next few weeks after launch that will demonstrate raising and lowering the CubeSat’s orbit using sunlight.

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If the orientation obtained is correct, the solar-powered spacecraft will look like the brightest star in the night sky, such as Sirius.

“After a busy initial flight phase, which will last approximately two months and will also include subsystem checkout, the microwave oven-sized CubeSat will deploy its reflective solar sail,” NASA reports. It adds, “The weeks-long test involved a series of pointing maneuvers to demonstrate raising and lowering orbit, using only the pressure of sunlight acting on the sail.

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How important is this solar mission?

This mission is very important because its success will reduce the dependence on heavy propulsion systems. Thus, solar sail technology will enable long-duration low-cost missions.

“The Sun will continue to burn for billions of years, so we have an unlimited source of propulsion,” commented Alan Rhodes, the mission’s lead systems engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center. Instead of launching massive fuel tanks for future missions, we could launch large sails that use “fuel” that is already available.

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Published: April 24, 2024, 08:09 am IST