Development of boom-free deployment mechanisms for solar sail spacecraft

• Main Author: Baey, Yi Quan
• Other Authors: Lai Changquan
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering; Boom-free solar sail spacecraft
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/176587
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This project investigates the deployment of solar sail and identifies key factors that is necessary for efficient deployment of a solar sail to develop a boom-free deployment. Through a comprehensive literature review, the study identifies the selection of origami design and the development of a rotational deployment mechanism as vital factors in the development of a boom-free solar sail deployment mechanism. Through multiple iterations of prototyping and testing, the boom-free solar sail deployment mechanism is developed as it shows feasibility and potential. A boom-free solar sail deployment is especially useful for long space exploration missions as compared to the use of conventional rockets or rigid boom as it can bring about advantages such as saving more space and lesser limitation to the size of the solar sail. With a bigger solar sail, the spacecraft can generate more thrust from the light sources in space to travel further and deeper into space.