World’s First Solar Power Sail Demonstration Flight in Interplanetary Cruise in 2010
- Paper number
IAC-08.A3.6.15
- Author
Dr. Junichiro Kawaguchi, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Yuichi Tsuda, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Osamu Mori, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Takayuki Yamamoto, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Ryu Funase, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Hirotaka Sawada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Yasuhiro Kawakatsu, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Coauthor
Dr. Mutsuko Morimoto, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Year
2008
- Abstract
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will make the world’s first solar power sail craft demonstrate for both its photon propulsion and thin film solar power generation during its interplanetary cruise. The spacecraft deploys and spans its membrane of 20 meters in diameter taking the advantage of the spin centrifugal force. The spacecraft weighs approximately 300kg, launched together with the agency’s Venus Climate Orbiter, PLANET-C in June of 2010. Both spacecraft are boosted by the H-IIA vehicle directly on to their cruise orbit bound for the Venus. This demonstrator attempts further to deploy thin film solar cells on the membrane, in order to evaluate its thermal control property and anti-radiation performance in real operational field. The sail spacecraft steers its orientation in time-to-time to demonstrate managing photon acceleration in accordance with the guidance strategy. The mission finished its CDR this summer and now the flight hardware undergoes fabrication process by early 2009, followed by the verification and test process. This will be the first actual solar sail flying an interplanetary voyage. JAXA has studied an extended Solar Power Sail craft toward the outer solar system via hybrid electric & photon propulsion, and this demonstrator is a stepping stone for enhancing the technology readiness level toward it.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.A3.6.15.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.