Bauman MSTU students are preparing to test a solar sail installation on the Parus-MSTU satellite. The plan was revealed by RIA News, citing Victoria Mayorova, the head of the university’s Youth Space Center, as the source of the information.
The project is described as an experimental probe of solar sail propulsion. While the team expects the test to proceed, there is an understanding that it may not be carried out immediately. The Parus-MSTU satellite is currently in orbit and functioning normally. Operators monitor its status, maintaining control shortly after launch and continuing to verify performance over time. The project official stressed that the mission has practical aims and could proceed when conditions allow. The emphasis remains on experimentation and learning rather than immediate deployment. This viewpoint comes from an official familiar with the program and reported by RIA News for those following the space initiative. [RIA News]
Mayorova added that sequencing and timing for the experiment are flexible and not considered a strict constraint. The dialogue around scheduling reflects a measured approach to space testing that weighs both scientific value and operational safety. [RIA News]
In late October, it was reported that Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub conducted a spacewalk connected to propulsion research linked to solar sails while the Parus-MSTU student satellite began its mission. The event highlighted ongoing collaboration between university research teams and space professionals as part of a broader exploration into lightweight propulsion methods. [RIA News]
Earlier, Kononenko and Chub completed a separate space operation that involved turning off radiator and heat exchanger circuits on the multi purpose laboratory module Science. The activity demonstrated ongoing maintenance and testing routines essential to long term orbital missions. [RIA News]
Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, a unit of Roscosmos, has articulated goals to expand corporate capacity and authorize launches for more than two thousand unmanned aerial vehicles into orbit by 2036. This strategic direction aligns with a push to broaden Russia’s space activities and sustain developments in satellite technology and propulsion research. [RIA News]
Earlier communications suggested that Russia may pursue the creation of advanced satellite technologies with perpetual motion concepts. While such claims require careful scientific scrutiny, the discussions underscore ambitious efforts to push the boundaries of satellite design and propulsion. [RIA News]