A NASA solar sail mission meant to test new space travel materials in Earth's orbit is scheduled to lift off no sooner than April 24, the space agency announced on Thursday (April 11).
Named the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, or ACS3, the mission's primary goal is to test the deployment of solar sails using new composite booms, which are tube-shaped materials meant to unfurl and hold four very thin triangular sheets tautly. These sheets, together, form a kite-like solar sail. The ACS3 booms pull the solar sail into the size of a small apartment from a microwave-sized satellite in under 30 minutes, and are stiffer and lighter from previous technology, NASA said in a statement. The spacecraft is scheduled to launch onboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from the company's launch site in Māhia, New Zealand.
