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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
SpaceX Rocket Breaks Apart En Route to International Space Station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean during today's flight to the International Space Station.
Of Course I Still Love You, Falcon: New SpaceX Ship Ready to Catch Rockets
SpaceX is gearing up for its seventh paid cargo run to the International Space Station, and the third attempt to catch the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a drone ship in the ocean.
Preparing America’s Spaceport for NASA’s New Rocket
At Kennedy Space Center, NASA's ground systems program prepares for the first flight of the Space Launch System in 2018.
Thank You, LightSail Trackers
A thank-you to all the space enthusiasts who helped track LightSail during its 25-day test mission.
LightSail Test Mission Ends with Fiery Reentry
The LightSail test mission is officially over. Following a 25-day stay in low-Earth orbit, the spacecraft tumbled back into Earth’s atmosphere Sunday afternoon.
In Pictures: LightSail’s Final Days in Space
LightSail’s brief stay in orbit is almost over. Here are a few photos and videos of the spacecraft from observers around the world.
Pretty (Partial) Picture: LightSail Catches a Glimpse of Earth
With the team still trying to download an image from LightSail's second camera, Emily Lakdawalla processed a partial image from the first camera that contains a slice of Earth.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For LightSail Test Mission, Waiting is the Hardest Part
The Planetary Society's LightSail spacecraft is now entering its second week of silence.
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.