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![The Ikaros Solar Sail Project]()
IKAROS is a space yacht that gathers energy for propulsion from sunlight pressure by means of a membrane (or a solar sail.) The Japanese space agency's mission aims at verifying navigation technology using a solar sail for first time in the world.![Building the Craft]()
At 5:44:14 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 17, the craft, seen here during construction in Japan, will launch from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center launching site. It piggybacks on the launch of Akatsuki, a climate monitoring satellite that will target Venus.![Heart of the Craft]()
A solar sail can move forward without consuming propellant as long as it can generate enough energy from sunlight. This idea of a solar sail was born some 100 years ago, as we often find it in science fiction novels, but it has not been realized to date. At the heart of Ikaros is this large camera.![Releasing the Sail]()
The craft is a "spin-type explorer," according to the Japanese space agency. It will deploy its square solar-gathering membrane (46 feet to the side, or 66 meters across) using the centrifugal force in space.![Arms_Fully_Unfurled]()
Once the craft's arms are fully extended, the solar gathering material can be deployed. The solar sail used for the IKAROS is made of polyimide resin deposited with aluminum. It is very thin, about 1/10 of a human hair.![Close Up of Sails]()
On top of this thin sail, various devices are equipped, including the thin film solar cells, a liquid crystal device that controls attitude by changing light reflection characteristics, a temperature sensor, and a dust counter.![Arms Opening Up]()
Here, the arms of the Ikaros craft fully extended, the solar sail begins deploying. The centrifugal force of the rotating craft helps deploy the ultra thin material.![Sails_Unfurling]()
As the membrane is released, it snakes out dynamically until it reaches full deployment.![Solar_Sail__Deployed]()
After its deployment, JAXA will evaluate the performance of the power generation by the thin film solar cell on the membrane, then perform experiments by navigating deep space through sunlight pressure power.How Does a Solar Sail Work?
Japan plans to launch and test an innovative new form of propulsion: a solar sail named Ikaros (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun). How does it work?
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- How Does a Solar Sail Work?
