ACS3 powered by photon kinetic energy… “Using a lightweight foldable mast makes it small and light”
“Long duration propulsion without fuel tank…Used for solar wind research, etc.”
(Seoul = News 1) Reporter Jooyoung Yoon = The first of our ‘Neonsat’ satellites was launched from Mahiya, New Zealand on the 24th of last month. This was carried on the vehicle of the American space company Rocket Lab ‘Electron’, and equipment was carried as a roommate at this time.
This is the ‘ACS3’ solar navigation system (Advanced Integrated Solar Navigation System) created by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
According to the scientific community on the 2nd, ACS3 is mounted on a small NASA satellite ‘CubeSat’ carrying out its mission at an altitude of about 1,000 km.
ACS3 uses its sails and is powered by the movement of solar photons. He moves with physical energy, like a sailboat sailing under the power of the wind. ACS3 sails, which are mounted in a folded state, spread out to a total area of 80 square meters (㎡). The sail, which consists of four triangles, is made by covering synthetic rubber with aluminum.
In particular, NASA researchers focused on making the ‘mast’ light and small, thinking that it will be placed on small spaceships in the future. The sail, made of carbon fiber tubes, is rolled up like a tape measure and extends up to 7 meters.
Keats Wilkie, senior researcher at NASA’s Langley Research Center, explained, “Heavy and bulky masts, such as those made of metal, are unsuitable for mounting on today’s miniaturized spacecraft. Not only is this crane small and light, but it is also durable. performance such as resistance to temperature changes.” .
NASA researchers expect ACS3 to provide thrust suitable for future long-duration missions such as solar wind research. This is because it uses permanent solar energy rather than fuel.
Although the initial speed is slow due to the small amount of photon movement, this can also be solved by acceleration in space without air resistance.
“The sun burns for billions of years, so it produces an infinite amount of energy,” said Alan Rose, senior systems engineer at NASA’s Ames Research Center. instead of carrying large fuel tanks”.
NASA’s control team is monitoring the launch via a CubeSat camera and testing functions such as speed control and maneuverability. Based on the data obtained here, we plan to expand the sail to 2,000 m2, which is half the size of a football field.
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