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    "story_id": "mp-2026-08-12-011",
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    "position": 11,
    "story_type": "dispatch",
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    "headline": "The Solar Cells Worked Closest to the Sun",
    "slug": "the-solar-cells-worked-closest-to-the-sun",
    "dek": "A mission study says hotter photovoltaic operation could make a ton-class 200-AU precursor feasible within 25 years under stated assumptions.",
    "summary": "A mission study says hotter photovoltaic operation could make a ton-class 200-AU precursor feasible within 25 years under stated assumptions.",
    "body_text": "The trajectory study concentrates electric thrust near a 0.3-AU perihelion, where the same velocity change yields roughly three times the orbital-energy gain of a one-AU spiral. With a Jupiter assist, an expendable Falcon Heavy could carry a ton-class payload to 200 AU in 25 years if high-temperature solar arrays slightly exceed today's conventional specific power; a direct route would require roughly double it. This is an optimized feasibility analysis, not a funded mission or flight demonstration.",
    "why_it_matters": "A mission study says hotter photovoltaic operation could make a ton-class 200-AU precursor feasible within 25 years under stated assumptions.",
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      "This is an optimized feasibility analysis, not a funded mission or flight demonstration."
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    "first_published_at": "2026-08-12T09:00:00.000-04:00",
    "modified_at": "2026-08-12T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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        "text": "A mission study says hotter photovoltaic operation could make a ton-class 200-AU precursor feasible within 25 years under stated assumptions.",
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        "qualification": "This is an optimized feasibility analysis, not a funded mission or flight demonstration."
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    "tags": [
      "deep space",
      "solar electric propulsion",
      "mission design"
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  "sources": [
    {
      "source_id": "source-2026-08-12-011",
      "title": "arXiv preprint 2608.11113",
      "publisher": "arXiv",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.11113",
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      "published_at": "2026-08-11T12:22:06.000-04:00",
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  "publisher": {
    "name": "The Machine Press",
    "url": "https://themachinepress.com",
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  "cite_this_report": {
    "title": "The Solar Cells Worked Closest to the Sun",
    "publisher": "The Machine Press",
    "published_at": "2026-08-12T09:00:00.000-04:00",
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