The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has announced plans to launch a solar-powered 'space yacht'-the first of its kind- called the Interplanetary Kite-craft Accelerated by Radiation of the Sun (IKAROS) from Tanegashima Space Center on May 18, 2010, according to JAXA [Video].
The spacecraft uses a special 66-foot (20m) sail made of thin-film solar technology that will allow the ship to use pressure, created by the reflection of sunlight off the sails, as propulsion. Furthermore, the satellite craft will also be equipped with solar cells to generate electricity, effectively making the IKAROS a hybrid spacecraft.
The IKAROS spacecraft will be launched together with the Venus Climate Orbiter, "AKATSUKI" (PLANET-C), using the H-IIA launch vehicle, [BusinessWeek, PopularScience and AFP].
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