The LightSail 2 spacecraft, or rather the “space sailor”, after three and a half years sailing on Earth, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and burned down. The Planetary Society announced on Thursday that its solar sail mission has come to an end. The spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere on November 17 and burned up as it descended, but the mission successfully demonstrated that sunlight could be used to propel satellites into orbit.
“LightSail 2 has vanished after three glorious years in the sky, drawing a trail of fire with light and proving that we can defy gravity by sailing through space,” said Bill Nye, CEO of The Planetary Society.
LightSail 2 was launched in June 2019 and opened its massive 32 square meter solar sail about a month after reaching orbit. The solar sail was powered by photons from the Sun, which propel the spacecraft through tiny bursts of momentum when the photons hit its wings.
Over time, atmospheric drag finally managed to beat the LightSail 2. Particles from the atmosphere slammed into the spacecraft, slowing it down over time. The Sun, which is currently in an active period, has also caused the Earth’s upper atmosphere to warm, condense and make it difficult to pass through.
LightSail 2 reached lower altitudes after traveling 8 million kilometers of the sky and completing 18,000 orbits of Earth, and was now predicted to be extinct. During reentry, the spacecraft was moving so fast that it created a high-energy pressure wave in front of it, causing the air around it to heat up, turning the spacecraft into a disintegrating fireball.
“We braved Earth’s harbor and found that a small ship could sail and change direction,” said Bruce Betts, LightSail program manager and chief scientist at The Planetary Society. “I extend my best wishes to those who opened it. We look forward to the exciting future of discoveries, proud to have played a part in these developments.”
32531
