FRANCE: LightSail has deployed its solar sail for the first time, weeks after launching into space on the first test flight for the spacecraft design. This technology could, one day, allow spacecraft to travel without using or carrying fuel.
Solar sails harness the energy of light from the sun by using it as a means of propulsion, similar to way a sailboat utilizes wind. Unlike a solar panel, which converts solar enegery into electricity, LightSail literally uses sunlight to push it the way a breeze pushes a sail. Mission planners were able to unfurl the giant sail for the first time on June 7.
The Planetary Society, a private space advocacy group, designed and manages the LightSail program.
After launching from Earth on May 20, the vehicle quickly dropped out of communication with controllers on Earth, due to an issue with software.
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