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NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch

NASA Next-Generation Solar Sail Boom Technology Ready for Launch

Sailing through space might sound like something out of science fiction, but the concept is no longer limited to books or the big screen. In April, a next-generation solar sail technology – known as the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System – will launch aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand. The technology could advance future space travel and expand our understanding of our Sun and solar system.  

Solar sails use the pressure of sunlight for propulsion, angling toward or away from the Sun so that photons bounce off the reflective sail to push a spacecraft. This eliminates heavy propulsion systems and could enable longer duration and lower-cost missions. Although mass is reduced, solar sails have been limited by the material and structure of the booms, which act much like a sailboat’s mast. But NASA is about to change the sailing game for

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Batteries won’t cut it – we need solar thermal technology to get us through the night

Batteries won’t cut it – we need solar thermal technology to get us through the night

Australia’s transition to renewables is gathering speed, but there’s a looming problem with storage. We will need much more long-duration storage to get us through the night, once the coal and fossil gas exit the system.

We also need to find new and better ways to create heat for industrial processes. Renewables can supply much of that heat during the day, but energy storage will be required to meet the industry’s night-time heat needs.

Solar thermal technology has the potential to provide both long-duration storage and industrial heat, but it has been largely overlooked in the Australian context. That is about to change.

the CSIRO Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap identifying a mix of technologies will be required, across sectors, to meet Australia’s energy storage needs, particularly at night. Solar thermal will be an important part of the mix.

Batteries alone won’t cut it. They’re good for short-duration storage, ranging

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