Japan Plans Solar Sail Called Ikaros

Japan is planning to launch an interplanetary solar sail mission called Ikaros next May.

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Ikaros stands for the Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun. The name also harkens to the Greek mythological figure Icarus, who fashioned feathers and attempted to escape exile but flew too close to the sun.

The mission will launch next May on an H-2A rocket with the Akatsuki mission to Venus, according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

The sqaure Ikaros sail, with a diagonal diameter of 66 feet, is covered with thin film solar cells to generate electricity. The spacecraft will spin up to about 20 rpm for stability during its mission.

Interesting...mmm. the cells on the sail make me wonder if this is truly a solar sail rather than a light weight solar panel, but...they say so, even in the acronym.