#SolarSail to Power #Space Craft to #Venus

On Friday the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch the first spacecraft to use solar sails to navigate space missions. Look for solar sails to be increasingly used for deep space missions, because of their low-power and longevity. R.C.J.


Here's what JAXA says: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency have announced the postponement of the launch of the Venus Climate Orbiter "AKATSUKI" (PLANET-C) by H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 17 (H-IIA F17) today due to adverse weather conditions. After studying weather conditions from tomorrow, we decided to carry out the launch at 6:58:22 a.m. on May 21, 2010 (Japan Standard Time, JST) because the weather is expected to recover in that timeframe...JAXA will broadcast the launch of "AKATSUKI" and "IKAROS" by the H-IIA F17 from the Tanegashima Space Center through the Internet...
Full Text: http://bit.ly/NextGenLog-cnSn