Months after launch, NASA’s solar sail mission is not performing well, with ground teams so far failing to deploy the massive sun glider system, putting the success of the mission, which was designed to test new materials and deployable structures for solar sail propulsion as a form of space travel, in jeopardy.
The advanced composite solar sail system launched aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket on April 23. About a week into its journey, the microwave-sized CubeSat contacted ground control from a sun-synchronous orbit about 600 miles (966 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface. All was well until NASA began deployment operations.
In a recent update, NASA said the mission’s solar sail was shut down during the first deployment attempt after onboard power monitors detected higher-than-expected motor currents. NASA engineers are analyzing data from the spacecraft to determine the cause of the sudden malfunction. NASA said the spacecraft’s communications, power and attitude control have been operating normally during that time.
“Mission operators were able to download data from the spacecraft during the short planned communication window as the spacecraft passed within range of Mission Control at Santa Clara University in California,” NASA wrote. “Teams are currently analyzing and evaluating all spacecraft systems before resuming deployment operations.”
Solar sails work by harnessing photons from the Sun, using the energy generated by light to propel the spacecraft forward. When a photon hits the spacecraft’s sail, it creates a small momentum burst that propels the spacecraft away from the star. If the spacecraft can overcome the drag from Earth’s atmosphere, it could potentially reach very high altitudes.
NASA’s Solar Sail mission is designed to test new materials and deployment structures for an experimental propulsion system, including a new composite boom that will be used to deploy the sail. The composite boom is made from a polymer material that is lightweight yet stiff and will not bend or warp when exposed to a wide range of temperatures. It functions similarly to a sailboat’s boom, except it is designed to capture solar propulsion instead of wind.
When unfurled, the solar sail stretches 30 feet (9 meters) on each side. The sail needs to be large enough to generate enough thrust, and in orbit high enough to gain altitude and overcome atmospheric drag using the subtle force of sunlight on the sail. According to NASA, the force exerted by the sun’s light is roughly the same as the weight of a paperclip held in the palm of your hand.
The initial flight phase of the mission is designed to last about two months and will involve a series of pointing maneuvers to raise and lower the orbit using only the pressure of sunlight acting on the sail. NASA hopes that this solar sail technology will help the space agency reach even more distant destinations in space and aid in a deeper understanding of the solar system.
more: Solar sail spacecraft bursts into flames and falls into Earth’s atmosphere
