In a few day , the Planetary Society ’s LightSail 2 will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket to test a unique approach to orbital travel around Earth . By using a solar cruise , and no other means of propulsion , the loaf of bread - size of it craft will move around our major planet , even change its scope .
Solar cruise work by harness the impulse of light speck called photon . To be efficient , the material of the sail want to be top-notch - loose – a development that has only become possible in recent decades . Despite this , solar sails are not a new idea . In fact , Kepler made of note of it in 1608 .
The missionary post , which is crowdfunded , will take LightSail 2 to an orbit of about 720 klick ( 45 miles ) in high spirits . The craft will be stored in a suitcase - sized spacecraft called Prox-1 for a week to give time for the other space vehicle carried by the rocket to spread out .
Afterward , Prox-1 will open its front room access and a large spring will actuate LightSail 2 into deep space . The slyness will circle our planet for a few years so that the team can assess its functions and begin operations to eventually deploy the solar sail . This will be or so two weeks after the launch .
Then , the fun part begin . For about a month , LightSail 2 will be ona raising orbit mission . Thanks to sunlight , the craft will tardily but for certain increase its semi - major axis of rotation by several hundred meters every day . The goal of the commission is to demonstrate that solar sails are a valid method to propel minuscule , humble - cost orbiter . The craftiness is not designed to maintain a circular orbit , so when one side of the orbit grows , the other shrinks . finally , the craft will be slow down down by the ( very tenuous ) atmosphere and fall back to Earth , burning during re - entranceway .
As the name indicates , LightSail 2 has a herald . They partake in similarities , but the raw mission will go to a high orbit than LightSail 1 and the new designhas upgradesthat will allow well manoeuvrability of the sail as well as improve tracking of the craft .
The solar sail is made of mylar , a particular polyester moving-picture show . It is 32 square beat ( 344 square pes ) but is only 4.5 micron thick , thinner than your average wanderer World Wide Web strand . It is designed with the danger of micrometeor and small space rubble in mind , so there are seams every few inches to ensure a rip wo n’t spread across the whole cruise .
Several mission with solar canvas are being contrive , including NASA ’s NEOScout andBreakthrough Starshot . The Japanese missionIKAROSwas the first one to show solar sheet interplanetary space vehicle was possible when it reached Venus in 2010 .
