LightSail
Credit: David Imbaratto, Stellar Exploration, for The Planetary Society
February 9, 2011 Credit: David Imbaratto, Stellar Exploration, for The Planetary Society
NASA announced that the Planetary Society’s LightSail-1 solar sail mission is on their short list for upcoming launch opportunities. The missions selected are Cubesats destined for piggyback launches as part of NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative.
Our LightSail-1 spacecraft will be ready this summer, and we are hoping for the earliest launch possible.
LightSail-1 is a three-unit Cubesat, which weighs 4.5 kg and measures only 10x10x30 cm. Cubesats are a type of nanosatellite that NASA and others launch as auxiliary payloads, “piggybacking” on missions with larger, conventional spacecraft. NASA has selected 20 (Cubesat) payloads, including LightSail-1, as well as payloads from government centers and universities.
No comments:
Post a Comment