Message from the Guest Editors of the Special Issue on Solar-Photon Space Sailing

摘要

Dear authors and readers, Since the 1960s, an increasing interest in space propulsion methods (a) not-high-limited in energy (e.g., electric rocket propulsion) and (6) involving no propellant (space sailing), has been advancing from theoretical, numerical-simulation, and technological viewpoints. In particular, among the propulsion concepts of type (6), solar-photon sailing (SPS) has received greater and greater attention. On May 21st, 2010, at 6:58 (Japan Standard Time), the launcher H-IIA-17 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center by carrying two spacecraft as payload. One of those ones is IKAROS, which stands for Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation Of the Sun. The IKAROS mission is a milestone in the history of astronautics, in general, and of in-space propulsion, in particular. Since then, the efforts of planning and carrying out important almost-propellantless missions have been increasing in objectives and technological improvements, mainly in Japan, USA, China, and Italy.