NASA Deploys Solar Sail

NASA's NanoSail-D spacecraft deployed a 10-square meter solar sail in low Earth orbit on January 21, 2011.

The spacecraft had been stuck inside its mothership, the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) for about a month, and then was ejected unexpectedly on January 17.  

While NanoSail-D is in low Earth orbit, it will send out beacon signals, which can be tracked at the NanoSail-D dashboard, http://nanosaild.engr.scu.edu/dashboard.htm, until the onboard batteries wear out.

Amateur and professional astronomers are encouraged to help NASA track the satellite by participating in a photography contest sponsored by NASA and spaceweather.com. Information can be found at http://www.nanosail.org.

After 70 to 120 days, drag from the solar sail will cause NanoSail-D to de-orbit. NASA hopes that the spacecraft will disintegrate into the atmosphere. In the future, space sails might be used to help take old satellites and space junk out of orbit.

This is the first solar sail that NASA has deployed in low Earth orbit.

In 2010, the Japanese space probe IKAROS used a solar sail to fly to Venus.

JAXA, the Japanese space agency, is planning to use a solar sail on a mission to Jupiter this decade.