"Rocket Lab Set to Launch NASA's Advanced Solar Sail Technology"

NASA's upcoming ACS3 solar sail mission, aimed at testing new space travel materials in Earth's orbit, is set to launch no earlier than April 24. The mission will test the deployment of solar sails using new composite booms, which are tube-shaped materials meant to unfurl and hold four very thin triangular sheets tautly. Scheduled to launch onboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket from New Zealand, the spacecraft will test changing its orbit via the solar sail, potentially offering useful data for future missions. If successful, the solar sail will measure about 860 square feet and could sparkle as brightly as the brightest star in the night sky.