On Earth, projects linked to solar energy are flourishing… In space, closer to the Source, why not do the same? On April 24, from the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, NASA, the American space agency, launched the Solar Sail mission. Goal: Test new solar sail technology, which uses the pressure of sunlight to propel itself, tilting toward or away from the sun.
These reflective solar sails should be able to propel a spacecraft when photons bounce off them. “Although mass is reduced, solar sails have been limited by the material and structure of the booms, which act much like the mast of a sailboat. But NASA is about to change the game of sailing for the future.explains the space agency, which ultimately plans to do without heavy propulsion systems, opening the way to longer-lasting and less expensive missions.
A structure made of composite materials
For the purposes of the experiment, a Rocket Lab Electron rocket (a launcher) was used, as was a CubeSat, a nanosatellite, equipped with the famous solar sail. A series of pointing maneuvers to demonstrate raising and lowering the orbit, using only the pressure of sunlight acting on the sail. At the end of the initial flight phase, planned to last two months, a series of maneuvers is planned, in order to gauge the elevation and lowering of the orbit, based on the pressure of sunlight acting on the sail.
Finding a way to hold the solar sail was not an easy task for the NASA teams, who planned 7 meters of rollable and deployable booms. “Solar sails need very large, stable and lightweight poles that can fold compactly”, underlines Keats Wilkie, one of the researchers involved. The tubes are designed to resist bending and warping when exposed to different temperatures. Composite materials were used for this purpose. New information related to the progress of the mission is expected soon. Meanwhile, French start-up Gama is working on similar technology…
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