After three-and-a-half years of sailing above Earth, the LightSail 2 spacecraft has burnt its shiny metallic wings as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere in a fiery blaze. The Planetary Society announced ...

While most traditional spacecraft use combinations of chemical burn thrusters and planetary gravitational assists to arrive at their destinations, a solar sail-centric spacecraft would offer one ...

After more than three years circling the Earth, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission has come to an end following a fiery reentry. The satellite was an important tech demo for the idea of solar ...

The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 spacecraft sprang loose from its Prox-1 carrier vehicle as planned today, and sent its first signals back to mission control at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in ...

Somewhere above our heads, a small spacecraft with aluminized Mylar sail is making history. Launched at the end of June on the Falcon Heavy, the LightSail 2 spacecraft is currently moving along using ...

The mission, far beyond its design lifetime, may fall into the atmosphere in a few months. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Two weeks after entering solar sailing mode, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 spacecraft has managed to raise its orbit by nearly 2 miles, in an important test of this promising new means of ...

The latest LightSail mission gave us a glimpse into the future of solar sailing. The latest LightSail mission gave us a glimpse into the future of solar sailing. After three years in space, the ...

The prototype solar sail was built by the Planetary Society to test novel space propulsion techniques. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it ...

A new solar-sailing spacecraft will be a call to all (future) occupants of interplanetary craft. The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft will be a test bed for future missions wanting to use ...