Planetary Society's solar sail has been successfully deployed - What's next for the LightSail team?

06/10/2015 - 00:00

 By Jason Davis -

The Planetary Society’s LightSail test mission successfully completed its primary objective of deploying a solar sail in low-Earth orbit, mission managers said today. During a ground station pass over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo that began at 1:26 p.m. EDT (17:26 UTC), the final pieces of an image showcasing LightSail’s deployed solar sails were received on Earth. The image confirms the sails have unfurled, which was the final milestone of a shakedown mission designed to pave the way for a full-fledged solar sail flight in 2016.

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LightSail Test Mission Declared Success; First Image Complete http://t.co/Y1CTpk6QGd pic.twitter.com/KcgPL4zbfV — Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) June 9, 2015