All eyes will on the moon like The first launch of the Artemis . mission will explode toward our lunar neighbor in a few weeks, but rockets won’t be the only new vehicle heading into space. After NASA’s Orion Capsule separated from Space launch system The rocket (SLS), SLS will deploy 10 small satellites, each about the size of a shoebox, which will then depart in different directions. SLS will make for a luxurious ride into deep space for probes, which researchers typically launch into low Earth orbit on much smaller rockets.
One of the miniature spacecraft, dubbed the Near-Earth Asteroid Scout, will aim for a particularly distant target: It will hover over the moon en route to a near-Earth asteroid, where It will capture the detailed pictures. The satellite will be propelled there by a sweeping solar sail. Despite its diminutive size, the NEA Scout, as it stands, can perform cutting-edge science while assisting in the search for the type of asteroid that future larger-scale missions might want to visit. .
“We wanted to visualize everything that could be related to motion,” said Julie Castillo-Rogez, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and head of the NEA Scout science team. rotation of the asteroid, its size, luminosity and local environment. The spacecraft is equipped with a miniature but state-of-the-art camera, whose resolution is similar to the one on board NASA’s OSIRIS-REx, a much larger profession of asteroid exploration. “It’s very likely, but very small,” she said.
NEA Scout and its nine comrades demonstrate the many possible uses of nanocells known as CubeSats. Each shape is made up of sets of cubes about 4 inches across on one side. While some CubeSats consist of three consecutive units, known as 3U, the spacecraft on Artemis 1 is 6U.
The highest achievement spacecraft, the first CubeSat launched as part of the Artemis program, was the 12U. Capstone launched in June and will extend orbit around the moon for the planned Lunar Gateway space station, where astronauts will gather on future Artemis missions. All such satellites exploit miniaturization technologies and cram batteries, electronics, cameras and other tools into an extremely compact space, allowing for cheaper research than would otherwise be possible. Building larger spacecraft can cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
After the NEA Scout deploys from the SLS rocket, it will follow the moon, and then slowly unfold its solar sail a few days later. Like everything else, the sail will initially be packaged in a small box that will fit a third of the product. But not for long. “As soon as we give that command, four metal rods pop out, pulling the sail out of the spool. Les Johnson, NEA Scout technology lead at the Marshall Space Flight Center, says it’s 925 square feet, roughly the size of a school bus.
The sail is coated with a layer of reflective aluminum that’s thinner than foil — like Saran Wrap but not sticky, says Johnson. Unlike a boat, the sail of the small spaceship propels the craft when it encounters a ray of light, not the wind. As light reflects off the sail, it generates some energy, which is converted into an extra thrust on the sail and spacecraft.
