Interplanetary solar sail (IKAROS)
Vela solar interplanetaria (IKAROS)
- Date
- 2010 · confidence high
- Place
- JAXA, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
- Credited to
- JAXA
- Field
- Movement
What it is
The first spacecraft propelled in interplanetary space by the pressure of sunlight on a 14-metre sail fitted with thin-film solar cells. It demonstrated propellant-free propulsion on the way to Venus.
What it led to
- solar sails such as LightSail and NEA Scout
- propellant-free propulsion for deep-space missions