LightSail
Jump to: Mission Objectives, Mission Instrumentation, Mission Parameters, Additional Information
Mission Photos:
(image credit: Planetary Society)
Mission Objectives:
LightSail is a citizen-funded project by The Planetary Society, the world's largest non-profit space advocacy group. Two small spacecraft will be sent into Earth orbit carrying large, reflective sails measuring 32 square meters (344 square feet). The first mission is a May 2015 test flight that will pave the way for a second, full-fledged solar sailing demonstration in 2016. LightSail-1 will demonstrate the deployment of a 32 m2 solar sail from a 3-unit CubeSat platform. LightSail-2 will demonstrate controlled solar sailing in low-Earth orbit.
SLR will be utilized to perform spacecraft orbit determination before and after solar sail deployment. Without an onboard GPS receiver, SLR is the primary orbit determination method.
Mission Instrumentation:
LightSail satellites will have the following onboard:
- 10 solar panels
- Two 2 Mpixel cameras mounted at the end of two of the solar panels
- Four sun sensors mounted at the end of four of the solar panels
- Six tiny ultra-sensitive accelerometers
- Retroreflector array
Mission Parameters:
| Satellite: | LightSail-1 | LightSail-2 |
| Sponsor: | The Planetary Society | The Planetary Society |
| Expected Life: | 6 weeks | 6 weeks |
| Primary Applications: | Demonstrate viability of solar sails | Demonstrate controlled solar sailing in low-Earth orbit |
| Primary SLR Applications: | Orbit determination | Orbit determination |
| COSPAR ID: | 1502511 | 1903629 |
| SIC Code: | 4201 | 4202 |
| Satellite Catalog (NORAD) Number: | 40661 | 44420 |
| Launch Date: | May 20, 2015 | June 25, 2019 |
| NP Bin Size: | 30 seconds | 15 seconds |
| RRA Shape: | Hemispherical/Pyramid | |
| Cube Diameter: | 4x 10.0mm, 3x 12.7mm | 12.7 mm |
| Reflectors: | 7 corner cubes | 13 corner cubes |
| Inclination: | 55 degrees | 24 degrees |
| Eccentricity: | 0.0253 | 0 |
| Altitude: | 350 km x 700 km | 720 km |
| Mass: | ~ 4.5 kg | 5.035 kg |
Additional Information:
Web sites:
- The Planetary Society's LightSail page
- The Planetary Society's LightSail Mission Control page
- LightSail information page (ESA)
Related information:
- "Pew pew! Lasers will help determine where LightSail 2 is" - Planetary Society article by Jason Davis
