May 20 in space will launch a device with a solar sail

In 1976, the famous physicist and astronomer, popularizer of science Karl Sagan appeared in the show “The Tonight Show” to explain the new method of movement in outer space. Sagan then explained (the videotape of the show is under the cut) that a spacecraft with a solar sail can move under the influence of the sun’s rays, much like a sailboat moves through water under the influence of the wind , and not about the "solar wind", which can be used to propel a ship with an electric "sail").

So, now, forty years later, it is planned to conduct direct tests of a spacecraft with a solar “sail”. The LightSail project is the brainchild of The Planetary Society , a non-profit association founded by Sagan and other renowned scientists. Now the head of the company is Bill Nye. The launch of the spacecraft is scheduled for May 20, and this test launch is intended to demonstrate the advantages of the “solar sail” and spacecraft using this method of movement over chemical-fueled missiles.

This is not the first launch of the solar sail vehicle. So, in 2010, the Japanese unit IKAROS was launched, and in 2011 NASA agency successfully launched the solar sail in the framework of the NanoSail-D project.
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The device consists of two parts - the four triangular sails Mylar, which will drive the device under the influence of sunlight, and the device itself - a small satellite CubeSat. Naturally, no sunlight will be launched into space by the device, the Atlas V launch vehicle, a system developed by the United Launch Alliance, behind which Boeing and Lockheed Martin stand, will be used to go beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. The final version of the device will work with another satellite, Prox-1, and will be displayed in space by the Falcon Heavy from SpaceX.

The first flight of the satellite was scheduled for May 6, but the launch had to be postponed, doubts arose that the satellite would be able to successfully dismiss the sail. Now the launch is scheduled for May 20th. If all goes well, the second launch will take place in April next year.



The cost of developing LightSail-1 is $ 1.8 million, and the entire project is estimated at $ 4.5 million. In principle, this is very little when compared with other spacecraft.