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Small BodiesStories, updates, insights, and original analysis from The Planetary Society.
LightSail 2 Team Continues Tweaks and Tests for Sail Deployment
Spare bandwidth during ground station passes has allowed flight controllers to downlink 2 new high-resolution images.
Planetary Society-funded Technology Picked by NASA for Possible Moon Flight
PlanetVac, a technology that simplifies the process of collecting samples from other worlds, may fly to the Moon.
LightSail 2 Team to Conduct More Testing before Sail Deployment
Sail deployment is now scheduled for no earlier than 21 July 2019.
Here are the First Pictures of Earth from LightSail 2
Pictures taken by the spacecraft's cameras Friday evening show a crescent Earth, as LightSail 2 heads into orbital sunset.
See the Latest Data from LightSail 2 on Our New Mission Control Dashboard
Would you like to see the latest data from The Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft—possibly before flight controllers have even seen it? Now you can!
LightSail 2 Healthy as Mission Team Continues Spacecraft Checkouts
The mission team is working through a 73-step checklist to check out the spacecraft’s systems and perform various tests.
Orion Completes Critical In-Flight Abort Test
The test showed Orion can blast itself away from the Space Launch System if the big rocket fails while attempting to fly to orbit.
First Contact! LightSail 2 Phones Home to Mission Control
The mission team received LightSail 2's first signals on 2 July at 01:34 PDT (08:34 UTC), as the spacecraft passed over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California.
NASA Greenlights Dragonfly, a Quadcopter Mission to Titan
Sporting 8 rotors and a nuclear power source like the Mars Curiosity rover, Dragonfly will launch in 2026 and arrive at Titan in 2034.
LightSail 2 Has Launched!
The Planetary Society's solar sail CubeSat lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 25 June at 02:30 EDT (06:30 UTC).
LightSail 2 is Ready for Launch
The Planetary Society's solar sailing spacecraft is ready to take flight. We got an up-close look at its ride to orbit.
Here's Our First Look at LightSail 2 Installed on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Rocket
LightSail 2 is one of 24 spacecraft hitching a ride to orbit as part of the U.S. Air Force's STP-2 mission.
What to Expect when LightSail 2 Launches into Space
Our preview guide outlines the LightSail 2 mission from start to finish.
What's the Difference between LightSail 1 and LightSail 2?
While LightSail 1 and 2 look nearly identical at a glance, there are a few important hardware differences between the two spacecraft.
Hayabusa2 drops second target marker, targets artificial crater for sample collection
The reflective softball-sized sphere will give the spacecraft a visual guide during a second potential sample collection.
LightSail 2 Arrives in Florida
Next Stop: Space!
Hayabusa2 Encounters Snag Trying to Drop Second Target Marker
The spacecraft is healthy and safe, but time is running out to collect a second sample from asteroid Ryugu.
Here's a Roundup of Recent OSIRIS-REx Postcards from Bennu
NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is currently sweeping arcs between the asteroid's north and south poles.
LightSail 2 set to launch next month aboard SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
The Planetary Society's solar sail spacecraft will lift off 22 June 2019 on a mission to demonstrate the power of sunlight for propulsion.
LightSail 2 Integrated with Prox-1 Carrier Spacecraft
The Planetary Society's solar sailing CubeSat is officially on the road to launch.