Spacecraft designed to ride on sunlight deploys its reflective solar sail

An artistic rendering of Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 with its sail deployed | Image: Planetary Society

On July 23rd, a tiny spacecraft in orbit around Earth unfurled a thin sheet of mylar that’s the area of a boxing ring. The result is a reflective sail that rides not on wind, but on light from the Sun to propel the vehicle through space.
The spacecraft that’s now sporting a shiny new accessory is called LightSail 2, which is operated by The Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization that advocates for space exploration. Its goal is to demonstrate a way to move a vehicle through space without relying on chemical propellants, which can be heavy, toxic, and expensive to use. This solar technology could provide a cost-effective alternative to propelling vehicles around Earth and through the Solar System. “You never run out of fuel,” Bill…

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