To reach Earth’s closest star system, Alpha Centauri, scientists are building a laser-powered spacecraft. To pull off ...

Last year, Gizmodo awarded the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 in the Gizmodo Science Fair for the experiment’s test of the feasibility of photons as a means of satellite propulsion.

But a new ultra-thin lightsail designed with AI could make it possible to reach the nearest star within 20 years. Launched in 1977, the Voyager 1 probe was the first human-made object to leave our ...

LightSail 2's 3.5-year mission came to an end on Nov. 17 when the sunshine-riding craft burned up upon reentry to Earth's atmosphere.

LightSail may now be over, but it has opened the door to the use of solar sailing in space exploration. “It doesn’t fit every situation, but now it gives another arrow in the quiver of options ...

The LightSail used photons from the sun’s rays, which create momentum after they bounce off of the solar cell made from Mylar, a super shiny reflective polyester film.

After three years circling the Earth, the Planetary Society’s LightSail 2 mission has come to an end following a fiery reentry. The satellite was an important tech demo for solar sailing, which ...

Bargartin found the lightsail must have curvature so it can billow out and avoid tearing. This curvature also must be significant, with the ideal lightsail being about as deep as it is wide.

AWS Lightsail is designed to be an easy and cost-effective platform for hosting web applications. Oftentimes however, organizations have eventually found that they have outgrown Lightsail and need to ...

LightSail 2 has been orbiting Earth for eight months now, and it has captured some stunning shots of our home planet during that time. The Planetary Society built the spacecraft, which launched in ...