Updates LightSail 2 mission news

[Notebook]

https://www.space.com/lightsail-2-solar-sail-mission-success.html?utm_source=notification

Today (July 31), The Planetary Society announced mission success as LightSail 2 — the bread-loaf-sized, crowdfunded, solar-powered spacecraft orbiting Earth — officially raised its orbit with the power of sunlight alone.
"Today, we declare mission success — we're going to a higher orbital altitude without rocket fuel, just with the push of sunlight," Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye said in a press conference.

http://www.planetary.org/explore/projects/lightsail-solar-sailing/lightsail-mission-control.html

 

[kuddel]

apogee raise: 2 kilometers over 4 days. Not much, but still impressive, somehow :thumbup:

 

[Thunder Chicken]

apogee raise: 2 kilometers over 4 days. Not much, but still impressive, somehow :thumbup:

If such a system could permit satellites to simply maintain orbital altitude, it would be a massive win. You could have satellites with much longer operational lifetimes. In addition, it would provide a means to accelerate de-orbit at end-of-life.

 

[kuddel]

Scott Manley on the topic: