Launch of solar sail spacecraft delayed for a few weeks

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Cosmos 1, which is expected to become the world's first solar sail spacecraft, is still waiting for a launch date.

The Planetary Society says the Mylar-equipped Cosmos 1 is ready to go but likely won't be launched until June. A launch date may be announced next week (it was originally set for 2003, then delayed until March 1).

Susan Lendroth, a spokeswoman for the Pasadena, Calif.-based non-profit group, said Monday that "it's all put together" but "the Russian Navy must assign the date" for a launch. Cosmos 1 will be launched on a Volna rocket from a Russian submarine in the Barents Sea.

Long the province of science fiction, solar sails work by capturing the miniscule momentum of light particles emitted by the Sun. Over time, the spacecraft can maintain a mild but gradual acceleration -- unlike the more powerful but shorter burst produced by chemical rockets. Solar sails require no fuel but light, and some proponents envision training orbiting lasers on the sail for propulsion when the spacecraft is too far away from the Sun.

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