Spacefarer Solar Kites for Solar System Exploration

From The Space Library

Author - C. Jack et al

Co-Author(s) - C. Jack; R. Wall; C. S. Welch

JBIS Volume # - 58

Page # - 155-166

Year - 2005

Keywords - `Solar kite', solar sailing', picosat, MEMS, imaging

JBIS Reference Code # - 2005.58.155

Number of Pages - 12

Abstract

A solar kite is a small rigid solar sail with an area of a few square metres, capable of carrying a payload of a few hundred grams. In contrast to more ambitious solar sails, a kite can be deployed from its canister by a simple spring-driven mechanism. Because of its very small moment of inertia, a kite can be steered by quasi-passive means. This paper summaries the findings of an ESA-funded research project examining the design, construction and deployment of solar kites, together with the missions they are capable of undertaking and the science data that could be obtained through their use. It focuses in particular on the high performance `Spacefarer' kite capable of progressing from GTO to near-Earth targets including the Moon, Lagrange points and asteroids.

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