We’ve brought you news about the IKAROS solar sail spacecraft before, and now the time has finally come for it to take flight! That’s right, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, is planning to launch the spacecraft powered by solar sails today at 6:22am Japan time and the event will be streaming live via the web for everyone to check out!
While it isn’t the first time solar sail-powered crafts have been used before, Ikaros will be the first to attempt to enter deep space. The solar sail part of the craft is made up of thin film solar cells and the main body will spin, holding the craft’s form intact via centrifugal force.
[...] been following the progress of the Japanese spaceship IKAROS — the first to unfurl a solar sail in deep space. Today, the [...]
Almost all spacecraft are solar powered.