Study of Asynchronous Solar Sail Deployment Using Finite Element Method

Abstract

Solar sails are a form of spacecraft which deploys a large sail in space and uses solar radiation pressure for propulsion. IKAROS is a spinning solar sail developed by JAXA and was launched in 2010. As demonstrated with IKAROS, it is extremely effective to place various devices, such as thin-film solar cells for power generation, on the sail membrane of a solar sail. Such devices, however, contribute to the thickness of the sail, and may hinder the deployment of the sail. In this paper, the sail deployment method of IKAROS is reviewed and its dynamics, which may result in an asynchronous deployment of the sail, is investigated.