Photo: NASA
More than four months after launch, a solar-sailing spacecraft has spread its wings above our planet. At the end of August, NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System reached full deployment in space. Just like the wind guides a sailboat on the water, it only takes a slight amount of sunlight to guide solar sails through space. The spacecraft that deployed the sail contains four cameras that can capture a panoramic view of both the reflective sail and the accompanying composite booms. Over the next few weeks, the team will observe the sail's maneuvering ability. "Flight data obtained during the demonstration will be used for designing future larger-scale composite solar sail systems for space weather early-warning satellites, asteroid and other small body reconnaissance missions, and missions to observe the polar regions of the sun," says Rocket Lab.
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