Good news! Scientists once again tested the spacecraft that can fly at the speed of light.

A small spaceship in Earth orbit successfully unfurled its solar sail. The spacecraft named "Guangfan 2" will now use the energy of the sun to further improve its orbital height. This experiment is considered to be an important test of this promising propulsion method.

Lightsail 2 is a crowdfunding project run by the Planetary Society, a non-profit space organization. The goal of this proof-of-concept mission is to test the feasibility of using solar navigation as a means to propel cubic satellites and other space objects. Eventually, a large-scale upgraded version of this technology can take us out of the solar system and even cross star space at relativistic speed.

In 20 15, the Planetary Society conducted a preliminary test on Lightsail-2, but at present, Lightsail-2 in space will try to improve its orbit to a measurable amount by using its solar sail propulsion method.

On Tuesday, July 23rd, about four weeks after being put into Earth orbit by a space falcon heavy rocket, Guangfan 2 passed the first key test: the deployment of solar sails. The cube satellite itself is about the size of a toaster, but after its four triangular ultra-thin sails are unfolded, its structural size is 32 square meters (340 square feet).

The Planetary Society confirmed the successful deployment in official website, saying that "the main systems of Guangfan 2 are normal and in line with expectations." The mission controller of the project is monitoring the spacecraft at the factory in San Luis Obispo, California.

At 2 pm Pacific time on July 23rd, Guangfan 2 entered the solar sail sailing mode. Its momentum wheel is used to locate the position of the spacecraft and run as expected, and "the attitude control system data shows that the solar sail is at an angle of 30 degrees with its expected direction-this is a promising early sign that the spacecraft tracks the sun correctly," the Planetary Society pointed out.

Earlier on July 24th, the Planetary Society released the first photo of the unfolded sail taken by the spacecraft itself on Twitter.

Mission controllers are still evaluating the integrity of the deployment, including reviewing the telemetry data of the spacecraft. Assuming all goes well, Guangfan 2 will begin to use the power of the sun to improve its orbit. According to the introduction of the Planetary Society, the working principle of solar sails is as follows:

The Planetary Society hopes to see Guangfan 2 improve its orbit by a measurable amount, which should not be a problem. It is expected that the spacecraft will move at a speed of several hundred meters per hour every day. The plane is currently 720 kilometers (450 miles) above the earth's surface.

In addition to propelling small satellites in orbit, large solar sails can also be used to propel heavier spacecraft through the solar system.

The Planetary Society is not the first organization to test solar sail technology. In 20 10, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully tested 196 square meters (2 1 10 square feet) solar sail "IKAROS". Unlike Guangfan-2, IKAROS has become an interstellar traveler and is currently heading for the edge of the solar system, ready to rush out of the solar system.

Looking ahead, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to put a 2,500-square-meter (26,900-square-foot) solar sail into Jupiter's orbit, where it will study the gas giant Trojan asteroid and then return to Earth. The project is scheduled to start in early 2020.

The era of solar sail is coming. We expect that in order to accelerate the spacecraft under the propulsion of solar sails, human beings can realize the navigation between galaxies, and interstellar migration will not be a dream.