CANADA: A tiny spacecraft designed to sail on sunbeams has been launched in a test flight that could transform long-distance space exploration.
The probe, called LightSail, is equipped with a huge silver sail that will unfurl in the coming weeks and use the momentum of sunlight to propel it smoothly through space.
The craft was developed by the US Planetary Society in a crowd-funded project and piggy-backed on the launch of an Atlas 5 rocket.
“LightSail is technically wonderful, but it’s also wonderfully romantic,” said Bill Nye, the non-profit organisation’s CEO. “We’ll sail on sunbeams. But wait, there’s more: This unique, remarkable spacecraft is funded entirely by private citizens, people who think spaceflight is cool.”
Unlike conventional solar energy, where incoming light is converted into electricity, solar sailing relies on energy transferred from sunlight bouncing off the sail’s reflective surface.
Each individual photon imparts a minuscule force, but at 32m across – one third of the length of a football pitch – the ultra-lightweight sail captures enough light to propel the tiny craft forwards without the need for any other fuel.
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