LightSail 2 Completes Pre-Launch Testing
LightSail 2 Completes Pre-Launch Testing
Author: | David Spencer |
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Event Date: | July 27, 2018 |
Priority: | Yes |
Following vibration testing along with its host spacecraft, Prox-1, LightSail 2 was removed from the deployer device and inspected for damage. The 3U CubeSat was found to be in excellent condition, and the team proceeded to perform aliveness testing. The testing exercised all components of the spacecraft, with the exceptions of the deployable antenna and solar sail. The batteries were then fully charged in preparation for launch.
LightSail 2 will launch as part of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Test Program 2 (STP-2) payload. Launch is scheduled for late 2018/early 2019 on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch vehicle, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Sponsored by The Planetary Society, LightSail 2 will demonstrate controlled solar sailing in Earth orbit. If successful, it will be the first solar sailing mission to shape the orbit using solar photons for propulsion. The Space Flight Project Laboratory at Purdue University is responsible for spacecraft trajectory and attitude modeling. Prof. David Spencer is the project manager for LightSail 2.