Nanosail-D deploys, unfurls sail
Posted: Tue, Jan 25, 2011, 6:45 AM ET (1145 GMT)
An experimental small satellite unexpected deployed last week and unfurled a solar sail, NASA officials said. NanoSail-D was supposed to eject from the FASTSAT last month, but engineers found no evidence that the spacecraft actually deployed. However, for reasons still unknown, NanoSail-D ejected from FASTSAT last week, and on Friday engineers confirmed that the small satellite deployed a nine-square-meter solar sail. The satellite will remain in orbit for up to 120 days before deorbiting, although lack of radio contacts with the satellite indicate that the spacecraft's battery has been exhausted.
An experimental small satellite unexpected deployed last week and unfurled a solar sail, NASA officials said. NanoSail-D was supposed to eject from the FASTSAT last month, but engineers found no evidence that the spacecraft actually deployed. However, for reasons still unknown, NanoSail-D ejected from FASTSAT last week, and on Friday engineers confirmed that the small satellite deployed a nine-square-meter solar sail. The satellite will remain in orbit for up to 120 days before deorbiting, although lack of radio contacts with the satellite indicate that the spacecraft's battery has been exhausted.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, February 15
constellr snaps up €37M to expand its thermal satellite imaging
Constellr — 12:45 pm ET (1745 GMT) Pale Blue Commences Operations at “Tsukuba Production Engineering Base” for Mass Production of Propulsion Systems
Pale Blue — 12:44 pm ET (1744 GMT) AAC Clyde Space expands maritime data capacity with additional Sedna satellites
AAC Clyde Space — 12:44 pm ET (1744 GMT) Hypersonica successfully tests Europe’s sovereign hypersonic missile prototype
Hypersonica — 12:42 pm ET (1742 GMT) Airbus complements its radar space-based portfolio with the Synspective SAR constellation
Airbus Group — 12:42 pm ET (1742 GMT) |
