FEM Structural Assessment of the Aurora Solar Sail Spacecraft

摘要

Aurora spacecraft is a scientific probe propelled by a "fast" solar sail whose first goal is to perform a technology assessment mission. A key point of the experiment is the possibility of building a very light structure in order to achieve a high speed with a very low force due to the pressure of solar light. This in turn implies the need to perform a very accurate stress analysis of the whole structure. A first approximation study allowed to verify that the structural goals stated in the preliminary design can be met.