ACS3 features a 12U nanosatellite bus built by Kongsberg NanoAvionics.
NASA’s ACS3 satellite launched on Rocket Lab’s Electron vehicle on 2024-04-23.
Rocket Lab launched NASA’s ACS3 mission on a rideshare mission in March 2024.
ACS3, or the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System, is a 12U cubesat developed at NASA’s Ames Research Center using a bus provided by NanoAvionics.
Electron’s Kick Stage used multiple in-space burns of its Curie engine to raise apogee and circularize orbit between deploying NEONSAT-1 and ACS3.
The ACS3 technology demonstration is managed and funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program at Ames Research Center.
NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) was deployed to a 1,0 m circular Earth orbit.
The ACS3 spacecraft was designed and built at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
The ACS3 technology demonstration is managed and funded by NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology program at Ames Research Center.
After NEONSAT-1 separation, the Kick Stage will ignite Curie again to raise apogee to 1,0 m and then ignite a third time to circularize before deploying ACS3.
After deploying NEONSAT-1, the Kick Stage will ignite Curie again to raise apogee to 1,0 m and then ignite a third time to circularize before deploying ACS3 to a 1,0 m circular Earth orbit.
The solar sail on ACS3 will deploy composite booms to unfurl a sail measuring approximately 9.14 m per side.
ACS3 was designed and built at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
ACS3 was designed and built at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
ACS3 was designed and built at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
ACS3 was designed and built at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and the technology demonstration is managed and funded by the Small Spacecraft Technology program at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.
Electron’s Kick Stage will perform multiple Curie engine burns to deploy NEONSAT-1 to a 520 km circular Earth orbit, raise apogee to 1,0 m, circularize for ACS3 deployment, and perform a deorbit burn to lower the Kick Stage’s orbit.
ACS3 was designed and built at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
The ACS3 mission plans to test composite booms that will unfurl a solar sail measuring approximately 9.14 m per side.
The Rocket Lab Electron Kick Stage will perform multiple in-space Curie engine burns to deploy NEONSAT-1 and ACS3 to separate orbits.