LightSail 2 will be very shiny after it deploys its sail. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The Planetary Society's solar-sailing ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Long before anyone considered exploring space with thrusters, German ...

After three years in space, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission burned up in the atmosphere on Thursday, November 17th. During its mission, the crowdfunded spacecraft made 18,000 orbits of the ...

It wasn't exactly smooth sailing, but The Planetary Society's cubesat got the job done in the end. The tiny LightSail spacecraft overcame a battery problem — the second glitch it suffered after ...

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 ...

What happens here matters everywhere. by Alan Boyle on July 31, 2019 at 3:49 pm July 31, 2019 at 5:46 pm This image was taken during the LightSail 2 sail deployment sequence on July 23. Baja ...

Among the many spacecraft and satellites ascending to space on Monday’s Falcon Heavy launch, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 may be the most interesting. If all goes well, a week from launch it ...