Znamya (satellite)

Znamya

Znamya satellite
Mission type	experiment
Operator	Russian Federal Space Agency
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	The Znamya project
Dimensions	20 m space solar mirror
Start of mission
Launch date	October 27, 1992 (1992-10-27)
Rocket	Progress M-15
Launch site	Baikonur
Deployment date	February 4, 1993 (1993-02-04)
End of mission
Disposal	Atmospheric Re-entry

The Znamya project (Russian: Знамя, meaning "Banner", Russian: [ˈznamʲə] ^ⓘ) was a series of orbital space mirror experiments in the 1990s that intended to beam solar power to Earth by reflecting sunlight. The project was the brain child of Vladimir Syromyatnikov, who served as the project's lead engineer.^[1] Originally devised as a solar sail, Syromyatnikov pivoted to using the proposed hardware as a space mirror. The project consisted of two experiments: the Znamya 2 experiment and the failed Znamya 2.5, plus the proposed Znamya 3. After the failed deployment of the Znamya 2.5 the project was abandoned by the Russian Federal Space Agency .