LightSail, solar sail spacecrafts, The Planetary Society, Pasadena, California, USA

CubeSats are tiny, low-cost satellites that have opened up new avenues of space research for universities and small organizations. To help CubeSat applications reach the next level, The Planetary Society is testing an elegant propulsion method called solar sailing that could help CubeSats maneuver in Earth orbit and reach interplanetary destinations.

LightSail-1 is a citizen-funded mission scheduled to launch in 2016 aboard the SpaceX Falcon Heavy.

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The first of The Planetary Society's two LightSail spacecraft will ride to space aboard an Atlas V rocket in May 2015. The mission is a shakedown cruise designed to test out the CubeSat's critical systems.

In 2016, the second LightSail spacecraft will piggyback into orbit aboard the first operational flight of SpaceX's new Falcon Heavy rocket for a full-fledged solar sailing demonstration.

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Bill Nye's project that uses solar wind to move through space hit a major milestone this week when the LightSail 2 unfurled its massive solar sail.

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MISSION SUCCESS! We just raised our orbit around Earth using sunlight alone, something that’s never been done before. LightSail 2 is now the highest performing solar sail to date and it's 100% crowdfunded by our members and backers!

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On June 25, the Planetary Society's LightSail 2 hitched a ride into orbit on board SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. The solar sail is propelled only by sunlight, and its technology holds promise for early detection of major events in space, as well as travel across vast distances. To find out more, WIRED's Daniel Oberhaus spoke with Planetary Society CEO, Bill Nye.

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Long the vision of fiction writers, a spaceship sail driven by the power of the sun is being tested in the skies above us.

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