AKS 1

AKS 1 (launch config.) [Aerospace System]

AKS 1 (deployed) [Aerospace System]

Aerospace System, a Russian company, is planning to implement a project of Solar Tug Systems consisting in the construction of a set of space vehicles to be used for the Government and commercial needs. Such space vehicles move by solar pressure combined with small-tug electrical rocket engines and chemical engines. AKS 1 is the first of these spacecraft.

Manufacturing and launching in 2004 the demonstration units (orbital space probe (AKS) No.1 and No.2 in carrier-rockets Dnepr-1 and Rokot-KM, respectively) with a combination of sail and electric rocket tug. These units are intended for trying out the deployment of frame-free film structures (film solar batteries and sail) and for carrying out the experiments in the following fields:

• trying out the controlling and movements in space;
• reflector lighting and shading of the given night sectors of the Earth from the space;
• radio lighting and shading;
• orbit height lifting and descending in spiral;
• change of orbit plane;
• trying out the effective jump method of starting and manoeuvring of solar sail with electric rocket engine (ERE) at low orbits in aircraft way, the sail is used as a wing in atomic atmosphere and ERE provides the thrust.

AKS 1 has been dropped from the late June 2004 Dnepr-1 launch for technical reasons and was rescheduled on alternative launch. It was again dropped from the March 2007 launch for financial reasons.