Scientists say the Phoebe ring is "more than 200 times as big across as Saturn itself." They used a special infrared space telescope to get the best look yet at the massive ring of black dust.
A giant balloon carried the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator to an altitude of 120,000 feet to test the device, which could be used on Mars missions. It seemed to deploy correctly, then tear apart.
The semi-annual phenomenon in late May and mid-July each year occurs when the Sun aligns with the street grid in Manhattan, casting a shaft of light between the skyscrapers.
The first of two satellites carrying the sail is set to launch later this month. A second, scheduled for launch next year, will go into higher orbit to fully test the concept.
The launch is the latest in a string of failures for the Proton-M rocket, a workhorse for the International Launch Services, a joint Russia-American satellite carrier business.