Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will be launched next year, a small pilot solar sail spacecraft, “Ikaros”. Solar laptop attery sail spacecraft in order to reflect solar particles into motivation. “Ikaros” with the Venus probe “Daybreak,” with by the H2A rocket into space.
Solar sails do not need fuel, 100 years ago, humans had this idea, but the lack of strong lightweight materials and can be extended a large area but did not materialize. “Ikaros” solar Toshiba laptop battery sail for the side length of 14 meters square, only 0.0075 millimeters thick, able to withstand the space environment from the polyimide resin, weighing about 15 kilograms.
As the polyimide resin is usually yellow, sails need to spray the surface of aluminum foil to enhance the performance of the reflection of sunlight. “Ikaros” in order to sail solar particles hit surface resulting from the reaction as the driving force, by VGP-BPS8 adjusting the sail surface and the sun’s angle control speed and trajectory. The researchers also plan to “Ikaros” about 5% of the surface, installation of thin-film solar cells for the future development of ion engines and hybrid solar sail spacecraft to explore Jupiter’s technical reserves.
Solar sails would be rolled in diameter and 1.6 meters, 1 meter high cylinder-type body on the spacecraft launched into space a few weeks later by the centrifugal force generated by rotating the spacecraft launch. First, the pilot VGP-BPS9 solar power solar sails can be achieved, followed by six months to test their ability to use the sun as a driving force for particle acceleration and orbit, in order to accumulate data for future applications.
U.S. Planetary Society in 2001 has created a solar sail spacecraft testing, but the rocket failed. The association plans to launch by the end of 2010 new solar sail spacecraft, “light sail on the 1st laptop battery.” The European Space Agency is also under study solar sails. If the “Ikaros” trial is successful, will set a precedent in the history of human spaceflight.