Countdown Goes Smoothly for Solar Sail-Propelled Spacecraft

All is set for the launch of The Planetary Society's Cosmos 1 solar sail. The submarine has taken position at a pre-selected spot in the Barents Sea.

The nominal launch time is 3:46 p.m. Eastern time.

Liftoff the rocket won't be immediately confirmed. The launch is being conducted by the Russian Navy. They will contact Lavochkin Association near Moscow who will then relay the information to The Planetary Society.

Louis Friedman, Executive Director of The Planetary Society, is standing by at Lavochkin. "Everything is basically ok, and we are relaxed here. Except me. I am not relaxed."

The $4 million solar sailing project is an undertaking of The Planetary Society, a public space advocacy group headquartered in Pasadena, California. The effort is sponsored by Cosmos Studios, a science-based entertainment company located in Ithaca, New York.

Cosmos 1 was built by the Lavochkin Association and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Russia.

• Russian Submarine Reaches Solar Sail Launch Site
• Solar Sail Ready For Sub-Launched Liftoff