Flying A Kite in Space

The sun is such a salient element to our lives. A great ball of flaming gas that gives us life and more and more is powering our cars, homes and technology. Yep, we can take many things from the blazing sun.

Recently, researchers from The Planetary Society have launched a spaceship in the quest to better understand this gaseous ball and the vast space around it. What’s so awesome about this explorer? It too is powered by the sun. In 2015, The Planetary Society launched the LightSail 1, which floated aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket up to orbit and consequently lost communication as the system malfunctioned. In June this year, The Planetary Society sent up their second attempt – the LightSail 2, and it was deployed at over 720 km orbital altitude. As it sat, the structure blossomed full sail, resembling a kite. By controlling the direction of the sail, the Society will be able to monitor orbital energy from the sun. It’s expected to touch back down on Earth next year.

The craft itself measures just 10x10x30cm, but was able to deploy its 32-square-metre reflective sail with no problems.

The last time a solar sail was successfully used in space was by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency who used a 196 square metre sail to fly the Ikaros spacecraft past Venus.