LightSail 2 orbiting Earth with solar propulsion

The Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on June 25, 2019, and deployed its square sail nearly a month later on July 23. The aim of the mission is to demonstrate solar sailing as a method for propelling CubeSats.

The spacecraft’s orbital high point (apogee) has since risen by about 2km, whilst the perigee (the low point of its orbit), has fallen away by a similar distance, which The Planetary Society said is consistent with pre-flight predictions for the effects of atmospheric drag.

LightSail 2 set to demonstrate solar sailing in Earth orbit

According to a statement, the mission team confirmed the apogee increase can only be attributed to solar sailing, meaning LightSail 2 has successfully completed its primary goal of demonstrating so-called ‘flight by light’ for CubeSats.

"We're thrilled to announce mission success for LightSail 2," said LightSail program manager and Planetary Society chief scientist Bruce Betts. "Our criteria was to demonstrate controlled solar sailing in a CubeSat by changing the spacecraft’s orbit using only the light pressure of the Sun, something that’s never been done before. I'm enormously proud of this team. It's been a long road and we did it."