\n<\/p>\n
A new NASA mission is testing a new way to navigate our solar system by hoisting its sail into space \u2013 not to catch the wind, but the propulsive power of sunlight.<\/p>\n
NASA\u2019s\u00a0Advanced Composite Solar Sail System\u00a0is led by the agency\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley. The\u00a0microwave oven-sized CubeSat\u00a0is scheduled to launch\u00a0<\/strong>aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the company\u2019s Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand. The launch window opens at 3 p.m. PDT\u00a0<\/strong>on Tuesday, April 23 (10 p.m. UTC). Successful deployment and operation of the solar sail\u2019s lightweight composite booms will prove the capability and open the door to larger scale missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Once it arrives in its orbit, roughly 600 miles above Earth, the CubeSat will deploy a lightweight sunlight-powered composite solar sail system that measures more than 800 square feet. Much like a sailboat uses wind to traverse the ocean, the solar sail technology will use the pressure of sunlight to travel through space and perform a series of maneuvers to demonstrate orbit raising and lowering. Throughout the demonstration, the spacecraft may be visible to the naked eye in the night sky.<\/p>\n Media interested in scheduling an interview with one of the\u00a0NASA Ames engineers involved with the development of the\u00a0CubeSat\u00a0should email\u00a0the NASA Ames Office of Communications at\u00a0arc-dl-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov.<\/p>\n A media resource reel including\u00a0animated clips of the solar sail system is available\u00a0here.\u00a0<\/p>\n Get launch updates, breaking news, and images on the\u00a0small satellites blog\u00a0as well as NASA Ames\u2019\u00a0Instagram,\u00a0Facebook, and\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information about NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center, visit:<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Rachel Hoover<\/p>\n Ames Research Center, Silicon Valley, Calif. rachel.hoover@nasa.gov<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
650-604-4789<\/p>\n