The Roll-Out Solar Array

An amazing underdog

Many of us already know about these underdogs, but not all can completely appreciate how amazing they are, so I have decided to give you a few, quick pointers on who they are and why they’re special.

Solar panels are an efficient way to power spacecrafts and other satellites, however most are too large and too delicate to carry up to space without meeting special conditions. The Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) is NASA’s innovative solution to this limitation.

_{^{Figure 1: NASA Image: ISS052E002857 - ROSA close-up}}

The ROSA design uses high-strain, composite, one-piece slit-tube booms. Once in space, the energy stored is then used to quickly deploy the solar panels.

_{^{Figure 2: NASA Image: ISS052E002871 - ROSA being tested in ISS}}

The panels have successfully been tested at the international space station, and will now be used by the NASA’s planetary defense department in the Double Asteroid Redirection Task (DART). The compact nature of the spacecraft aimed at hitting Dydimos provides the perfect opportunity to use ROSA.

For more details see here.