Icarus is a character in Greek mythology who loses his wings when he flies too close to the sun. Icarus and his father were imprisoned on an island and determined to escape by constructing themselves wings and flying from captivity. During their escape, Icarus deviated from the careful lead of his father, flying too high, where the sun melted the wax holding his wingâs feathers together. As a result, Icarus fell from the sky and drowned in the ocean below. Icarus is also quite literally a celestial body orbiting the sun, and could even be considered a satellite, depending on the definition.