The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, or ACS3, is set to be launched this week for flight tests in orbit. It will launch aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand. The purpose of these tests is to evaluate the performance of the ACS3 in orbit.
To achieve this, the ACS3 must be placed in a high enough orbit so that the force of sunlight on the sail, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of a paperclip resting on your palm, can overcome atmospheric drag and gain altitude. Following the launch, there will be an initial flight phase lasting about two months, during which subsystems will be checked. Once this phase is complete, the microwave oven-sized CubeSat will deploy its reflective solar sail, which is approximately 30 feet long.
This deployment is a key milestone to assess the functionality and effectiveness of the ACS3 system. The testing of the ACS3 in orbit is a significant step in the development and advancement of solar sail technology, which holds promise for providing propulsion and maneuvering capabilities for spacecraft in the future.
