An image taken by the LightSail CubeSat and downloaded on 437.435 MHz 9600 bps AX.25 packet radio has confirmed the deployment of its Solar Sail.
LightSail Altitude
Bill Nye “The Science Guy” @BillNye tweeted – This just in: a complete image of #LightSail in space! The future of space travel…
The sail started deploying at 1947 UT on June 7, 2015. It is expected that LightSail’s orbit will now decay rapidly resulting in the satellite burning up in the atmosphere in a matter of days.
Jason Davis@jasonrdavis reports that LightSail, call sign KK6HIT, is operational again. Nine beacon packets on 437.435 MHz (AX.25, 9600 bps FSK) were received during 2:14 pm EDT pass on June 6, 2015.
Update: The sail started deploying at 1947 UT on June 7, 2015. A fully deployed sail would result in LightSail’s orbit decaying rapidly and burning up in the atmosphere potentially within a matter of days. Amateur radio operators around the world are encouraged to listen for LightSail and submit data. Details can be found at http://sail.planetary.org/missioncontrol
Jason writes: The Planetary Society’s LightSail test spacecraft reported for duty this afternoon [May 30], heralding the end of an uneasy silence caused by a suspected software glitch. At 5:21 p.m. EDT (21:21 UTC), an automated radio chirp was received and decoded at the spacecraft’s Cal Poly San Luis Obispo ground station. Another came in eight minutes later at 5:29 p.m. The real-time clock on board the spacecraft, which does not reset after a software reboot, read 908,125 seconds—approximately ten-and-a-half days since LightSail’s May 20 launch.
LightSail is not out of the woods yet. Its exact position remains fuzzy, complicating two-way communication. Today’s [May 30] contact marks the first time engineers can compare the spacecraft’s signal with orbital models called two-line element sets, or TLEs. There are ten TLEs associated with the ULTRASat fleet that joined LightSail for a free ride to orbit courtesy of a United Launch Alliance Altas V rocket. Which TLE represents LightSail is unknown, but each radio chirp’s Doppler shift helps narrow down the possibilities.
LightSail-1 with sail deployed – Credit Justin Foley KI6EPH
At 1504 UT on Wednesday, May 20 the first of The Planetary Society’s two LightSail spacecraft blasted off into space aboard an Atlas V rocket with the X-37B space shuttle. Deployment of LightSail took place at 17:05:40.620 UT. The mission is a shakedown cruise designed to test out the CubeSat’s critical systems.
UltraSat Deployer Configuration – Credit United Launch Alliance
The Psat and BRICSat-P CubeSats carry amateur radio PSK31 transponders for multi-user PSK31 text messaging. Psat A/B also has APRS.
LightSail-1 has a 9600 bps FSK AX.25 Packet Radio downlink on 437.435 MHz. The Planetary Society’s Jason Davis asks radio amateurs to help by emailing him any data you collect from LightSail, including screenshots of the radio signal if you have them. He’ll pass the information on to the engineering team, and your contribution will be recognized on the blog. The contact address is at http://www.planetary.org/about/staff/jason-davis.html
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.
This video about the project features Bill Nye (the Science Guy on PBS TV) as well as Justin Foley KI6EPH, Alex Diaz KJ6KSF and Stephanie Wong.
Watch LightSail – Flight by Light (full version)
CubeSats in UltraSat Deployer – Credit NRO
Gunter’s Space Page reports these spacecraft were onboard the Atlas V:
• X-37B OTV-4 (USA 261)
• GEARRSAT 2 (GEARRS 2)
• LightSail A
• OptiCube 1 (O/C 1)
• OptiCube 2 (O/C 2)
• OptiCube 3 (O/C 3)
• USS Langley
• AeroCube 8A (IMPACT A)
• AeroCube 8B (IMPACT B)
• BRICSat-P
• PSat A (ParkinsonSat A) http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_chr/lau2015.htm
LightSail-1 with sail deployed – Credit Justin Foley KI6EPH
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.
This video about the project features Bill Nye (the Science Guy on PBS TV) as well as Justin Foley KI6EPH, Alex Diaz KJ6KSF and Stephanie Wong.
Artists impression of LightSail - Image Credit Planetary Society
The amateur radio spacecraft LightSail-1 is a 32 square metre solar sail demonstrator.
The first full scale deployment of the solar sail was conducted on March 4, 2011 at Stellar Exploration in San Luis Obispo, California. Read more
After launch LightSail-1 will spend a few weeks in orbit during which the team will check out the subsystems. The side panels will then be deployed, exposing a folded sail, and a motor driven sail deployment will extend rigid booms.
With the sail deployed, the primary operation for the spacecraft are performing 90 degree slews to get the sail normal to the sun vector, or edge on with the sun vector.
A combination of ground based sensors and on board sensors will be used to characterize the acceleration due to solar pressure. Imagers on the deployed panels are used to capture the sail deployment.
Proposing to have a downlink in the 435 MHz band with 1.5W output, semi-duplex 9k6 GMSK AX25 with a CW preamble to a single monopole. LightSail-1 is a 3U CubeSat weighing around 4.5 kg. More information will be available at http://polysat.calpoly.edu/LightSail.php
Watch LightSail-1 Video Update: Construction Begins!
The Planetary Society‘s LightSail program will launch three separate spacecraft over the course of several years, beginning with LightSail-1. Lightsail-2 will attempt a longer duration flight to higher Earth orbits, demonstrating that solar sails can increase their orbital energy and taking the next major step toward using solar sails for missions in and beyond Earth orbit.
LightSail-3 will fly to the Sun-Earth Libration Point, L1, where solar sail spacecraft could be permanently placed as solar weather stations, monitoring the geomagnetic storms from the Sun that potentially endanger electrical grids on Earth as well as satellites in Earth orbit.
AMSAT-UK 
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