---
title: "SpaceX is About to Launch a Solar Sail Inspired by Carl Sagan"
description: "A tiny 11 pound solar sail spacecraft is finally launching into space on top of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket this summer."
date: "2019-05-16"
modified: "2019-05-16"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/lightsail-solar-sail-planetary-society-spacex"
categories:
  - "Energy"
  - "Renewable Energy"
  - "Science & Energy"
  - "Solar Power"
  - "Space"
  - "SpaceX"
tags:
  - "cubesat"
  - "solar sail"
  - "solar sailing"
  - "SpaceX"
  - "the digest"
---

# SpaceX is About to Launch a Solar Sail Inspired by Carl Sagan

![A tiny 11 pound solar sail spacecraft is finally launching into space on top of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket this summer.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/lightsail-solar-sail-planetary-society-spacex.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Planetary Society\</em\>*

## Solar Sailing

After months of [delays](<http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-early-2019.html>), an 11 pound spacecraft propelled by the power of sunlight is finally launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy [this summer](<http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-set-to-launch.html>) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The shoebox-sized LightSail 2 is the result of ten years of research and engineering by the Planetary Society — and it could pave the way for a radical new method of off-world propulsion that doesn't rely on fuel.

"Forty years ago, my professor Carl Sagan shared his dream of using solar sail spacecraft to explore the cosmos," said Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye — yes, of "science guy" fame — in a [statement](<http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-set-to-launch.html>). "The Planetary Society is realizing the dream."

## Propulsion 2.0

LightSail2 doesn't simply collect solar power through panels as a way to run conventional propulsion systems — instead, it uses the momentum transferred onto objects by sunlight itself. Photons from the Sun have no mass, but they do exert radiation pressure, which means the large flat surface of LightSail 2 can use it to push itself along like a sail boat.

If everything goes according to plan, the Planetary Society's spacecraft could become the world's first spacecraft to orbit the Earth using sunlight. The tech could eventually bring down the costs of powering small satellites and spacecraft.

**READ MORE:** [LightSail 2 set to launch next month aboard SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket](<http://www.planetary.org/blogs/jason-davis/lightsail-2-set-to-launch.html>) \[*Planetary Society*\]

**More on solar sailing:** [Light Could Be The Answer To All Our Space Travel Problems](<https://futurism.com/category/space>)

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)