NASA releases first photo of solar sail deployed in space

At the end of August, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the successful deployment of a solar sail as part of the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) mission, Azernews reports.

The agency has now released the first photo of the sail taken by a camera onboard the spacecraft that delivered the mission to Earth's orbit.

It is anticipated that solar sails will be used in the future to propel satellites in space.

The released photo may appear somewhat distorted. This is due to the spacecraft’s slow rotation while in orbit. After sufficient telemetry data is collected regarding the sail and the composite guides holding it, NASA experts will stabilize the device. Clearer images are expected to be captured afterward.

The spacecraft is equipped with four cameras, one of which took the photo published by NASA. The lower part of the image shows reflective square sails supported by composite beams, while the upper part displays the back of one of the solar panels. The sail elements appear somewhat distorted due to the wide-angle view of the camera.