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New Details Released for Citizen-Funded LightSail Spacecraft Launch
LightSail Arrives in Florida for May 6 Test Flight
For Immediate Release
March 09, 2015
Contact
Erin Greeson
Phone: +1-626-793-5100
UPDATED: LightSail launch delayed until at least May 20. Please stand by for real-time updates.
More details on Jason Davis' blog
Pasadena, CA (March 9, 2015) – The Planetary Society’s privately funded LightSail spacecraft has arrived in Cape Canaveral, Fla., where it will be integrated with an Atlas V rocket scheduled to launch no earlier than May 6. The spacecraft is part of a secondary payload dubbed ULTRASat, which will fly aboard the U.S. Air Force mission AFSPC-5.
Bill Nye (The Science Guy), CEO at The Planetary Society, issued the following statement:
Our LightSail cubesat passed every one of its tests and has been loaded into its launcher mechanism. I’m naturally happy and excited, but I admit, a bit nervous. We've been working to get a solar sail into space since I joined The Planetary Society Board in 1997. It’s quite a milestone. Deep breath, no turning back now, this baby's on its own now. Here we go…
For complete coverage of the LightSail test flight, as well as the second LightSail mission scheduled for 2016, visit sail.planetary.org.
Previous LightSail press release: January 26, 2015
About The Planetary Society
With a global community of more than 2 million space enthusiasts, The Planetary Society is the world’s largest and most influential space advocacy organization. Founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman and today led by CEO Bill Nye, we empower the public to take a meaningful role in advancing space exploration through advocacy, education outreach, scientific innovation, and global collaboration. Together with our members and supporters, we’re on a mission to explore worlds, find life off Earth, and protect our planet from dangerous asteroids. To learn more, visit www.planetary.org.
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