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Updated: May 7, 2026
14:57
Structural Design and Manufacturing of a Cruiser Class Solar Vehicle
Published on: January 30, 2019
One kilometer (1 km) electric solar wind sail tether produced automatically
Henri Seppänen1, Timo Rauhala, Sergiy Kiprich
1Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 64, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
The Review of Scientific Instruments
|October 5, 2013
Summary
Researchers created a 1 km electric solar wind sail tether from aluminum wires. This demonstrates the practical production of long tethers for space applications.
Area of Science:
- Space Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Electric solar wind sails require long, lightweight tethers for operation.
- Previous production methods limited tether length and scalability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the feasibility and practicality of producing long multifilament electric solar wind sail tethers.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a custom-built automatic tether factory.
- Produced a 1 km continuous tether composed of multifilament μm-diameter aluminum wires.
- Ensured quality control with low rates of loose and rebonded connections.
Main Results:
- Successfully manufactured a 1 km multifilament tether weighing only 10 g.
- Achieved a production rate of 70 meters per 24 hours.
- Maintained high quality with 1‰ loose bonds and 2‰ rebonded bonds.
Conclusions:
- The automated production of long electric solar wind sail tethers is achievable.
- The developed method is practical for manufacturing space-ready tether systems.
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