IKAROS
IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun) is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) experimental spacecraft. The spacecraft was launched on 21 May, 2010, aboard an H-IIA rocket, together with the Akatsuki (Venus Climate Orbiter) probe and four other small spacecraft. IKAROS is the first spacecraft to successfully demonstrate solar-sail technology in interplanetary space.[3][5]
On December 8, 2010, IKAROS passed by Venus at about 80,800 km distance, completing the planned mission successfully, and entered its extended operation phase.[6][7][8][9]
Purpose
The IKAROS probe is the world's first spacecraft to use solar sailing as the main propulsion. It plans to demonstrate four key technologies (comments in parentheses refer to figure):
- Deployment and control of a large, thin solar sail membrane (blue areas numbered 3)
- Thin-film solar cells integrated into the sail to power the payload (black rectangles numbered 4)
- Measurement of acceleration due to radiation pressure on the solar sail
- Attitude control via variable reflectance liquid crystal panels (orange rectangles numbered 2)
The mission also includes investigations of aspects of interplanetary space, such as the gamma-ray burst, solar wind and cosmic dust.[10]
The probe's ALADDIN instrument (ALDN-S and ALDN-E) measured the variation in dust density[11] while its Gamma-Ray Burst Polarimeter (GAP) measured the polarization of gamma-ray bursts during its six month cruise.[12]
If successful, IKAROS is to be followed by a 50 m (160 ft) sail, intended to journey to Jupiter and the Trojan asteroids, later in the decade.[13]
Design
The square sail, deployed via a spinning motion using 0.5 kg tip masses (1 in key at right), is 20 m (66 ft) on the diagonal and is made of a 7.5-micrometre (0.0075 mm) thick sheet of polyimide (3 in key at right). A thin-film solar array is embedded in the sail (4 in key at right). PowerFilm, Inc. provided the thin-film solar array.[14] Eighty blocks of LCD panels are embedded in the sail,[15] whose reflectance can be adjusted for attitude control (2 in key at right). The sail also contains eight dust counters on the opposite face as part of the science payload.[16][17]
Mission progress
IKAROS was successfully launched together with Akatsuki (the Venus Climate Orbiter) aboard an H-IIA rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center on 21 May 2010.
IKAROS spun at 20–25 revolutions per minute and finished unfurling its sail on 10 June 2010.[18][19][20] The craft contains two tiny ejectable cameras, DCAM1 and DCAM2. DCAM2 was used to visualise the sail after deployment on 14 July 2010.[21]
Acceleration and attitude control were successfully tested during the remaining six month voyage to Venus. On 9 July 2010, JAXA confirmed that IKAROS is being accelerated by its solar sail,[22] and on 23 July announced successful attitude control.[23]
IKAROS continues to spin at approximately 2 rpm, requiring the LCD panels to be cycled at that rate for attitude control.
See also
Notes
- ^ Mori et al. (2009)
- ^ "Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator "IKAROS"". JAXA. http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/ikaros/index_e.html. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
- ^ a b Stephen Clark (Thursday, 20 May 2010). "H-2A Launch Report – Mission Status Center". Spaceflight Now. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/h2a/akatsuki/status.html. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ^ Samantha Harvey (21 May 2010). "Solar System Exploration: Missions: By Target: Venus: Future: Akatsuki". NASA. http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/profile.cfm?MCode=Akatsuki. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ^ "Launch Day of the H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17(H-IIA F17)". JAXA. March 3, 2010. http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/03/20100303_h2af17_e.html. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ "今日の IKAROS(12/10) - Daily Report - Dec 10, 2010" (in Japanese). IKAROS Blog. JAXA. December 10, 2010. http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/IKAROS-blog/?itemid=783. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "2010年の締めくくり(12/26) - Daily Report - Dec 26, 2010" (in Japanese). IKAROS Blog. JAXA. December 26, 2010. http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/IKAROS-blog/?itemid=796. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "宇宙帆船イカロス、お疲れさま…実験終え「人工惑星」に" (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. December 10, 2010. http://www.asahi.com/special/space/TKY201012100622.html. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ Mori, Osamu (January 26, 2011). "小型ソーラー電力セイル実証機（IKAROS）の定常運用終了報告" (in Japanese) (PDF). JAXA. http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2011/01/20110126_sac_ikaros.pdf. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ "小型ソーラー電力セイル実証機「IKAROS（イカロス）」のガンマ線バーストの観測成功について" (in Japanese). JAXA. 2010-07-14. http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/07/20100714_ikaros_j.html. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
- ^ Yano, H.; et al. "COSMIC DUST DETECTION BY THE IKAROS-ARRAYED LARGE-AREA DUST DETECTORS IN INTERPLANETARY SPACE (ALADDIN) FROM THE EARTH TO VENUS". 42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2011). http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2011/pdf/2647.pdf. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ Yonetoku, D.; et al (26 October 2010). "Gamma-Ray Burst Polarimeter - GAP - aboard the Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator IKAROS". arXiv:1010.5305 [astro-ph.IM].
- ^ "IKAROS Project". JAXA. 2008. http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/e/activity/ikaros.html. Retrieved 2010-07-12. "The second mission will take place in the late 2010s. It will involve a medium-sized solar power sail with a diameter of 50m, and will have integrated ion-propulsion engines. The destinations of the spacecraft will be Jupiter and the Trojan asteroids."
- ^ Claire M. Umali (Tuesday, May 04, 2010). "Japan tests power of solar sails in deep space". EcoSeed. http://www.ecoseed.org/en/technology/emerging-renewables/article/28-emerging-renewables/7067-japan-tests-power-of-solar-sails-in-deep-space. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator 'IKAROS': Successful Attitude Control by Liquid Crystal Device". Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). July 23, 2010 (JST). http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/07/20100723_ikaros_e.html.
- ^ "Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator". JAXA. 11 March 2010. http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/ikaros/index_e.html. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ "IKAROS Project". JAXA. 2008. http://www.jspec.jaxa.jp/e/activity/ikaros.html. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
- ^ Edwards, Lin (11 June 2010). "IKAROS unfurls first ever solar sail in space". PhysOrg. http://www.physorg.com/news195460006.html. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- ^ Staff writers (11 June 2010). "Japanese Spacecraft Deploys Solar Sail". Space.com. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/japan-spacecraft-deploys-solar-sail-100611.html. Retrieved 2010-06-11.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (11 June 2010). "Japan unfurls Ikaros solar sail in space". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science_and_environment/10293284.stm. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ Staff writers (16 June 2010). "Mini-camera pictures Japan's Ikaros solar sail". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/science_and_environment/10328584.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ^ About the confirmation of photon acceleration of "IKAROS" the small solar-sail demonstrating craft. (in Japanese). JAXA website press release (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). 9 July 2010. http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/07/20100709_ikaros_j.html. Retrieved 25 January 2011. "Graph suggests approx 1.1mN force"
- ^ "Small Solar Power Sail Demonstrator 'IKAROS'Successful Attitude Control by Liquid Crystal Device" (Press release). Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). 23 July 2010. http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2010/07/20100723_ikaros_e.html. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
References
External links
|
|
|
| Flybys |
|
|
|
| Orbiters |
|
|
| Descent probes |
|
|
| Landers |
|
|
| Balloon probes |
|
|
| Future missions |
|
|
| Proposed missions |
|
|
| See also |
|
|
- Bold italics indicates active missions
|
|
|
|
|
| Organizations |
|
|
| Weather observation |
|
Completed
|
Himawari (1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5)
|
|
|
In operation
|
|
|
|
In orbit
|
|
|
|
Planned
|
Himawari-8 · Himawari-9
|
|
|
| Earth observation |
|
Completed
|
Kyokko · Jikiken · Denpa · Ohozora · Ume (1 · b) · Fuyo-1 · Momo (1 · 1b) · Midori (I · II) · Daichi
|
|
|
In operation
|
|
|
|
Planned
|
|
|
|
Communications,
broadcasting and
positioning |
|
Completed
|
Sakura (1 · 2a · 2b · 3a · 3b) · Yuri (1 · 2a · 2b · 3a · 3b) · BS（2X · 3H · 3N) · Kakehashi · Superbird (A · A1 · B1 · A2) · JCSAT(1・2・3・R) · N-STAR (a · b) · Kirari · MBSat
|
|
|
In operation
|
|
|
|
Planned
|
QZSS (QZS-2 · QZS-3) · B-SAT(3c) · JCSAT(12 · 110R · 13)
|
|
|
| Engineering tests |
|
Completed
|
Ohsumi · Shinsei · Kiku (1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7) · Tansei (1 · 2 · 3 · 4) · Myojo · Ryusei · Orizuru · Jindai · EXPRESS · SFU · DASH · USERS · SERVIS-1 · SERVIS-2 · Ayame (1 · 2) · LRE · Tsubasa · LDREX (1 · 2) · Micro LabSat-1 · SDS-1
|
|
|
In operation
|
|
|
|
Planned
|
PETSAT · SDS-4
|
|
|
Cancelled
|
SmartSat-1
|
|
|
| Private miniaturized satellites |
|
Completed
|
|
|
|
In operation
|
Fuji-3 · CUTE (1・1.7+APDII) · XI (IV · V) · SEEDS · Raijin · Kiseki · Hitomi
|
|
|
Planned
|
WNI satellite · Horyu (1 · 2) · SPROUT · PROITERES · TSUBAME · QSAT-EOS · SOMESAT · RAIKO · FITSAT1 · WE WISH
|
|
|
| Astronomical observation |
|
Completed
|
|
|
|
In operation
|
|
|
|
Planned
|
|
|
|
Unmanned lunar and
planetary exploration |
|
Completed
|
|
|
|
In operation
|
|
|
|
Failed
|
|
|
|
Planned
|
|
|
|
Cancelled
|
|
|
|
| Reconnaissance |
|
Completed
|
IGS-Optical (Experimentally 3) · IGS-Radar (1 · 2)
|
|
|
In operation
|
IGS-Optical (1 · 2 · 3 · 4) · IGS-Rader (3)
|
|
|
Planned
|
IGS-Optical (Experimentally 5 · 5 · 6) · IGS-Rader (4 · 5 · 6)
|
|
|
| Human spaceflight |
|
Completed
|
|
|
|
In operation
|
|
|
|
Planned
|
|
|
|
Italics indicates projects in development. Superscripts indicate joint development with 1NASA, 2ESA, 3ASI, 4CSA, 5RKA, 6AEB and 7INPE.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).
|
|