Explore Worlds
Find Life
Defend Earth
All
All
Sun
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
LightSail Test Mission Declared Success; First Image Complete
The Planetary Society’s LightSail test mission successfully completed its primary objective of deploying a solar sail in low-Earth orbit.
New HQ Coming Together
Our new Planetary Society headquarters building is on track to be ready for us by mid-July. The building, which once was a bank, is being converted into a contemporary office space customized for the unique needs of The Planetary Society.
Sails in Space: Partial Photo, Video and Light Curve (Updated)
It’s official: The sails are out. This afternoon, LightSail mission controllers downlinked a partial image of the spacecraft’s solar sails in space.
Deployment! LightSail Boom Motor Whirrs to Life
LightSail's tiny solar sail deployment motor sprung to life Sunday afternoon, marking an important milestone for The Planetary Society’s nail-biting test mission.
LightSail Drama Continues as Spacecraft Wakes for Second Time
LightSail is back in business, following the second extended outage of the test spacecraft’s mission. The CubeSat checked in at 2:21 p.m. EDT Saturday.
The Planetary Society at Earth Day NYC
Volunteer Network Coordinator Kate Howells reports on our first time participating in New York City's enormous Earth Day celebration.
LightSail Falls Silent; Battery Glitch Suspected
The LightSail test spacecraft fell silent for a second time, less than a day after completing what appeared to be a successful solar panel deployment.
LightSail Solar Panel Deployment: No Pics, but Data Look Good
LightSail didn’t send home pretty pictures of Earth today, but it did relay promising signs that its deployable solar panels swung successfully out into space.
LightSail Deployment Update: Panels Wednesday, Sails Friday
LightSail Mission Managers have decided to split the spacecraft’s sail deployment sequence into two segments, following an extended checkout period that wrapped up Tuesday.
[Upated] House of Representatives Voting on NASA's 2016 Budget Today
NASA's 2016 budget is up for a major vote in the House of Representatives today, but it's just a step on the long road to a final budget in the fall.
First Look: Partial Camera Test Images from LightSail
A jumbled JPG never looked so pretty. This afternoon, LightSail sent home pieces of two images taken by one of the spacecraft's onboard cameras.
Lonny Baker: An Appreciation
Global Volunteer Coordinator Tom Kemp pays a heartfelt tribute to The Planetary Society's first Global Volunteer Leader, Lonny Baker.
LightSail Team Prepares for Sail Deployment
LightSail is almost ready for its moment in the sun. Mission managers are preparing for a manual solar sail deployment this week.
Contact! LightSail Phones Home after 8-Day Silence
The Planetary Society’s LightSail test spacecraft reported for duty this afternoon, heralding the end of an uneasy silence caused by a suspected software glitch.
For LightSail Test Mission, Waiting is the Hardest Part
The Planetary Society's LightSail spacecraft is now entering its second week of silence.
Why We Don't Know When the Europa Mission Will Launch
NASA has been vague about when the new mission to Europa will launch. There's a reason for that, and it's not just orbital mechanics.
Here Are the Science Instruments NASA Will Use to Explore Europa
NASA just announced the science instruments that will be used to understand the enigmatic ocean moon of Europa. The mission is planned to launch sometime in the early 2020s.
Software Glitch Pauses LightSail Test Mission
The Planetary Society’s LightSail test mission has been paused while engineers wait out a suspected software glitch that has silenced the solar sailing spacecraft.
LightSail Update: All Systems Nominal
It's been 24 hours since The Planetary Society’s LightSail spacecraft was deposited into space yesterday afternoon. All systems continue to look healthy.
Liftoff! LightSail Sails into Space aboard Atlas V Rocket
The first of The Planetary Society’s two LightSail spacecraft is now in space following a late morning launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.