Projects: LightSail - Solar Sailing
The Year in Pictures: 2005
Cosmos 1, the First Solar Sail, Is Launched and Lost
Credit: The Planetary Society |
June 21. After years of preparations, in The
Planetary Society's 25th year, we finally launched Cosmos
1, which was intended to demonstrate the feasibility of solar sailing as
a technique for solar system exploration. Cosmos
1 lifted off from the Barents Sea on the tip of a Volna rocket launched from
a submerged Russian navy submarine on June 21, 2005. After that, the
spacecraft was never heard from.
Credit: Rick Sternbach, The Planetary Society |
For several days after the launch, hopes
were high for finding the spacecraft, perhaps in an unexpected orbit. However,
analysis of
data received on the ground eventually proved that the first stage
of the Volna never completed its scheduled burn, and the spacecraft did not
enter orbit. Consequently, Cosmos
1 never had a chance to test its revolutionary
technology. Members and well-wishers from around the world expressed
a strong desire to try the mission again, and the
Society is currently exploring the possibility of launching another spacecraft in
the near future.
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