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By Emily Lakdawalla

Initial checkout of IKAROS complete

May. 25, 2010 | 12:32 PDT | 19:32 UTC

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JAXA has posted a short update on their solar sailcraft IKAROS, stating:

IKAROS moves to Verification Experiment Phase

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) completed the initial operation check....We will take a few weeks to carry out the first verification experiments, namely deployment of the solar sail and solar power generation by thin film solar cells.

My interpretation of this update (and let me be clear, this is just an interpretation, based on no more information than what I posted above) is that the all the instrument and systems checkouts have been completed, and the spacecraft is operating normally; so now they are ready to proceed toward the delicate operation of sail deployment.

JAXA posted this graphic along with the update. It seems to indicate that "deployment start" has been "completed," but I'm not sure exactly what "deployment start" means in this context! I can't imagine that, given the content of the text update, the sails have actually been deployed.

Click to enlarge >

IKAROS mission outline
Credit: JAXA

Meanwhile, on May 21, the student-built Venus-bound spacecraft Shin-en (UNITEC-1)'s operators reported that its signal had been received.

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My interpretation is that the deployment consist of spinning up ("deployment start"), sail ("membrane") deployment with higher spin, and spinning down to a suitable sail & probe stability spin rate.

I also interpret that to say that the "Mission" has "Completed" "Minimum success" criteria in such a case, and that it will happen "in a few weeks" after launch.

Whether they have spun up yet or not, made the full list 2) criteria, is then fuzzy.

#1 - Torbjörn Larsson, OM - 05/25/2010 - 17:10


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