The age of the solar sail is arriving sooner than expected
NASA has launched the latest attempt to test solar sail propulsion technology.
The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3), consisting of a CubeSat the size of a microwave oven and a solar sail, took off on board a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex I on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. After reaching 600 miles above the Earth, the ACS3 deployed its sail.
The ACS3’s solar sail is made of a reflective polymer and is held by a boom made of carbon fiber composite material.
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