Development of Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator IKAROS

Abstract

The solar power sail demonstrator is a probe that navigates by combining propulsion based on the momentum of photons from the Sun and an ion-propulsion engine. It is a middle-sized demonstrator spacecraft developed to demonstrate technologies that will be indispensable in the projected outer planetary exploration toward the Jupiter and its Trojan asteroid. The small solar power sail demonstrator IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft powered by Radiation from the Sun) has been designed to reduce the risks of development in the middle-sized demonstrator program. It has succeeded in the first advanced demonstrations globally of the deployment a large membrane, power generation via power sail and photon acceleration/navigation using sail. This paper reports on the development of the bus technology of the IKAROS by NEC.