NASA’s ACS3 (Advanced Composite Solar Sail System) experimental vehicle has been fully deployed in space following a successful test of its sail-lifting system, the U.S. Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced.

Mission operators confirmed success after receiving data from the spacecraft. The instrument’s core contains four cameras that capture panoramic views of the reflecting sail and supporting composite beams. High-quality images from these cameras will be available on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

Over the next few weeks, the team will test the solar sail’s maneuverability in space. As NASA emphasizes, ACS3’s ascent and descent into orbit will provide valuable information for future solar sail-equipped science and research missions.

NASA ACS3 orbits Earth at about twice the altitude of the International Space Station. Viewed from above, the sail is about 80 square meters (180 square feet), about half the size of a tennis court. Now that the solar sail is fully deployed, it can be seen by some alert observers on Earth who look up at the right time, according to NASA.