Project Svarog is a student-led initiative at Imperial College London focused on pushing the boundaries of deep-space travel through solar sailing technology. Our mission is to design and develop a solar sail spacecraft capable of reaching the heliopause — the outer edge of our solar system where the Sun’s influence ends — within 100 years of launch. Unlike traditional propulsion methods, solar sailing harnesses the pressure of sunlight to propel a spacecraft, offering a cleaner, more cost-effective, and sustainable approach to interstellar exploration.
To test our solar sail technology, we participated in the European Space Agency’s BEXUS program (Balloon Experiments for University Students). This program, in collaboration with other space agencies, gives university students the opportunity to conduct research in near-vacuum conditions using high-altitude balloons. Our primary goal was to develop a scaling law — a mathematical model to compare how a solar sail behaves in real-world conditions versus controlled laboratory vacuum chambers.
For our experiment, we designed a motorized sail deployment mechanism, which was attached to the underside of the balloon’s gondola. This system was engineered to deploy and spin the sail, simulating the spin-stabilized conditions that a solar sail would experience in space. To ensure comprehensive data collection, we incorporated multiple cameras to record the deployment process and built a redundant electronics system for reliability.
The experiment was largely successful, though we faced some deployment challenges. Two of the sail’s booms failed to deploy due to unexpected obstructions. However, thanks to quick troubleshooting, we managed to resolve the issue, and the hub successfully spun at various speeds as planned. Despite these setbacks, we gathered valuable data, including successful operation of the burn wire system, effective performance of the clutch mechanism, and critical insights into deployment dynamics.
Participating in the BEXUS program provided us with invaluable hands-on experience and a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in solar sail technology. While the deployment system needs refinement, our core systems functioned reliably, marking a significant step forward in our mission. This work brings us closer to achieving sustainable interstellar travel through solar sailing. The insights gained from this experiment will directly contribute to the next generation of solar sail designs, paving the way for future innovations in deep-space exploration.
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