LightSail spacecraft

The Planetary Society is realizing 1976 Carl Sagan’s solar sailing dream, nearly 40 years later, with a new spacecraft called LightSail designed to propel through space on beams of sunlight.   Watch the videos…

The first of The Planetary Society’s two LightSail spacecraft will ride to space aboard an Atlas V rocket in May 2015. The mission is a shakedown cruise designed to test out the CubeSat’s critical systems.

In 2016, the second LightSail spacecraft will piggyback into orbit aboard the first operational flight of SpaceX’s new Falcon Heavy rocket for a full-fledged solar sailing demonstration.

Youtube 12