AN ATTEMPT to unfurl an experimental “solar sail” on the edge of the Earth’s
atmosphere ended in disaster last weekend when a software error stopped the sail
separating from its launcher. They crashed in Russia.
Despite the failure, the Planetary Society, which funded the sail, and the
Russian design bureau Cosmos Studios may go ahead and deploy a full-size sail in
space. “I am optimistic that we can keep on schedule to launch Cosmos 1, the
first solar-sail spacecraft, later this year,” said Bruce Murray, president of
the Planetary Society.
Solar sails are large, lightweight structures that use sunlight to…
