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The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will make the world's first solar power sail craft demonstration of photon propulsion and thin film solar power generation during its interplanetary cruise by IKAROS (Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun). The spacecraft deploys and spans a membrane of 20 meters in diameter taking the advantage of the spin centrifugal force. The spacecraft weighs approximately 310kg, launched together with the agency's Venus Climate Orbiter, AKATSUKI in May 2010. This will be the first actual solar sail flying an interplanetary voyage.
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Mori et al. (2010) studied this question.
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