AKS 1

AKS 1 (launch config.) [Aerospace Systems]

AKS 1(deployed) [Aerospace Systems]

Aerospace Systems, 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 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 launch for technical reasons and was rescheduled on alternative launch. It was again dropped from the March 2007 launch for financial reasons.